


Trying Again

by Cyndassa (KadeWriting)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Mention of attempted suicide, Minor Injuries, Parseltongue, Past Child Abuse, Wandless Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 09:10:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 75,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3482594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KadeWriting/pseuds/Cyndassa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abused by the Dursleys, taken into Dumbledore's legal custody as a child, and raised in Hogwarts away from the other students, Harry must now learn how to live a 'normal' life: navigating employment at the school, fighting with Draco, dealing with his personal demons, and finding himself in a relationship with the most unlikely of professors.</p><p>Two Notes: Chapter 5 is the only chapter with explicit content. Also, considering the nature of the content, I've aged Harry up to 18 (the legal age of adulthood and consent where I live), even though canonically he would be 17. Underage is a hardline no-go for me, even if it is by only a few month.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to The Silver Snitch.
> 
> This work is broken down into 5 large chapters, which are then broken down into sub-chapters. I felt that it flowed better in this format.

**THE BEGINNING**

Everything had started to normally. Well, as close to ‘normal' as life got for Harry. He had been prowling the corridors after hours at Hogwarts, not bothering anybody, making sure to steer clear of Filch, Mrs. Norris, and all the resident ghosts as was routine for him. He had long ago perfected walking around silently so as to not get in trouble, and hidden under his invisibility cloak as he was, he hadn't thought anyone would be ever be able to see him. Later, when Harry had reflected on it, he realized that his inattention was what had started it all.

Harry had stopped to rest in the Astronomy Tower, and was sitting on one of the battlements, when a soft rustling alerted his attention to someone else in the area. Harry turned his head quickly and looked around. There shouldn't have been any students up, not at this time of night. Professor McGonagall had run them off hours ago, leaving the open-air area available for him to stare at the stars, or where the stars would have been if the sky hadn't been overcast. For lack of the sky to look at, Harry had taken up looking over the school grounds, a silent guard over his home. He glanced at his watch. 12.45. Even the Professors should have been asleep at this hour!

"Who's there?" A deep voice asked from the shadows near the trapdoor. Harry froze, barely breathing; he hadn't heard the door open. The teen sat quietly, not making a sound. After a few seconds the trapdoor shut and Harry relaxed, letting out the breath he had been holding in a soft whoosh.

"Lumos." The area was suddenly filled with a dim light, highlighting the area in front of the person, but blocking his – Harry was sure it was a he, because that wasn't a woman's voice – face from Harry's keen eyes. Harry froze again, swallowing in terror.

"I know someone is in here. Whoever you are, you shouldn't sigh like that when you're trying to hide." The figure moved a step closer to Harry's hidden form, and then stepped back to the trapdoor. Harry sat, frozen where he was, and prayed silently that the person would go away and leave him alone.

After an eternal moment, the figure, with wand still held to show the way but hide the identity, began slowly gliding around the area, one hand held to the wall. Harry stood quietly, every muscle tensed and senses hyperactive. The figure moved away from the trapdoor, giving Harry a window of opportunity to escape. If he could just get through the door, then he could take off running and hopefully lose the man in a secret hallway. Harry's gaze jumped from the trapdoor, to the man – who had stepped into a patch of moonlight, illuminating his jet-black robes and shoulder length black hair – and back to the trapdoor. He was only a few meters from the door… The figure was almost ten meters away from him… Now he was only two meters away from his escape… The figure had passed the far point of the circular area and was now on his was back "If you do not show yourself, I will find you. Perhaps a nice Leg Locker Hex to knock you to the ground?" … One meter… The man was steadily moving closer, but was still a good distance away from him… Now he was at the door… The man was still almost five meters away… Harry knelt down, reaching for the handle… Now he was slightly under five meters and closing… Harry had the handle in his hand… Four meters… Harry closed his eyes for an instant, praying that he could lose the man who would see and hear the door open… Three meters… Harry flung the door open, scrambling for the ladder.

"What the-?!" The man yelped in surprise. Harry dove through the door, hoping the man was still too shocked at a door opening without any visible means to come after him. He had his legs through the trapdoor and was about to finish his descent when the man, wand still lit, bolted towards the trapdoor and reached down. A second later and he would have been too late because Harry would have been long gone; luck wasn't with Harry though. The man's long hands descended towards Harry's cloth covered face, closed on the cloak, and pulled, leaving Harry exposed for the man to see. He froze in terror as the man's face loomed into view, right as the moon shined bright as the sun on the two of them. Harry couldn't be sure because the light was in his eyes, but he could have sworn that the man didn't have eyes, just two black holes in place of the eye sockets. Harry widened his eyes in absolute horror as he realized that the man could see him fully.

"You're not a student." The man's low voice sliced through the silence that had been reigning. "Who are you? What are you doing up here?" The man's words cut through Harry's fear induced haze and he immediately let go of the ladder, falling over a meter to the stone floor below. Before anything else could happen, instincts kicked in and Harry reached up, hand extended towards the man's figure. "Petrificus totalus!" he yelped, and the man's body stiffened, then fell to the floor of the Astronomy Tower, and was out of sight. Harry stared, panting, then took off like a shot, darting into the pitch-black hallways of the sleeping castle.

Left, right, straight, left, left… Harry's feet navigated for him, automatically taking him to safety. Straight, right, right, through the concealed door, and up the stairs into the rooms. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it, breathing heavily. "No. No, no, no." He moaned softly.

"Harry?" Harry jumped and whirled around to the voice. He stared at Albus Dumbledore in dumb shock, trembling slightly. "Harry, my boy. What's wrong? What happened?" Albus raised his hands in a soothing gesture; Harry flinched and shrunk back.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to! I was being quiet! I swear I was! I wasn't doing anything! It's his fault! He came in! I was quiet! He wouldn't go away! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I came right back here…" The words tumbled out quickly, dying off into a murmured ‘I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.'

"Harry. Calm down. Tell me what happened. What are you sorry for?" Albus had lowered his hands and taken a step back from the skittish teen. How long had it been since he had been reduced to this state? Months, years? Albus couldn't remember the last time the boy had murmured nothing but apologies in his presence.

Harry looked at the old man, eyes darting around the room, then landing back on the man's blue and silver robes. He wouldn't be able to escape Albus; he knew that. He spoke softly, barely above a whisper. "I was in the Astronomy Tower. Looking over the grounds. Someone opened the door. I think it was a teacher. I don't know. I've never seen him before. I was quiet, just like I'm supposed to be. I thought he left. He didn't. He heard me breathe. He started looking for me. I wasn't doing anything wrong! I was just sitting there. I tried to escape, but I couldn't get to the door fast enough." Here he looked up into Albus' blue eyes, pleading with his own green ones. "He came up to me before I could get all the way down the ladder." He dropped his gaze. "He took my cloak." The last line was nothing but a whisper of shame. Now he would be in trouble. Albus had never punished him like they had, but now… Now he was sure that the old wizard's patience would snap. He'd be yelled at, punished, sent back there. He began trembling in fear again.

Albus watched the distraught teen for a moment, the smiled benevolently. "My dear boy, you did nothing wrong. It was an accident, they happen. Tell me what the man looked like."

Harry shrugged, staring at the floor of the office and the plush carpet. "I don't know. I couldn't see him."

"You must have seen something of him. Robes, hair, eyes, height? You are not in trouble for this Harry."

Harry looked up at the man, eyes wide. "I'm not? But someone saw me! Someone I've never met!" His voice was small with disbelief.

"Of course you're not. Just tell me what the man looked like and I will take care of all of this. You did the right thing by coming straight back here." The words seemed to calm the boy down some. His hands were still shaking slightly, but the rest of his trembling had stopped.

"I couldn't see much of him. He had black robes. And black hair. That was all." He dropped his head, staring at the toes of his boots.

"Hmm…" Albus took another step back and extended his hand towards his desk. Harry noticed the movement and shrunk back slightly. Albus turned back to Harry, now holding a bowl of yellow candies. "Here Harry. Go on." He offered the bowl out to the young man, who reached out carefully and took one of the small yellow balls, instantly lifting it and taking it into his mouth. He kept his hand near his mouth, an unconscious gesture of timidity on his part.

"Harry, my boy, why don't you go on to bed? You've had a long night. I will take care of this in the morning." Albus ushered the still jumpy teen into a large bedroom, taking care not to actually touch him. "Don't worry, my lad. All will be well by lunch." He smiled again and shut the door behind him as he left. As soon as the door was shut, however, he frowned slightly. Well, he had been planning on introducing Harry to more of the staff members. Just not that particular one first.

 

**MEETING SEVERUS AND EXPLANATIONS**

The next morning, Albus was sitting in his favorite squashy chair, reading that day's edition of The Daily Prophet, when Harry entered the room, carrying a large tray with tea things, a plate of food, and a smaller plate with just toast on it. Albus looked up at the boy's quiet entrance and smiled brightly at him. "Good morning Harry! Sleep well?"

Harry ducked his head quickly, setting out the breakfast things. Albus beamed again, this time at his plate of food, and began eating, pouring himself a cup of tea with no hands while seemingly giving all his attention to his bacon. Harry lifted the corner of his mouth slightly in what might have been the beginnings of a smirk behind his toast, then nibbled on the bread.

"Toast? Is that all you're having, my boy?"

Harry started, nearly dropping the slice, then lowered it carefully. "I'm… I'm not very hungry this morning," he murmured quietly.

Albus nodded knowingly, returning his attention to his plate and spearing a clump of eggs. "Ah well, you know where the kitchen is if you decide later that you want something. Mmm mmm… My boy, you always did know how to make good eggs. I dare say these are your best yet."

Harry's mouth quirked again, this time a bit wider, and he returned to his toast. Albus looked up from his plate again a moment later. "Oh yes, I nearly forgot. While we're on the topic of breakfast…" Albus held his hand up towards one of the walls. A medium sized blue box with a white lid floated across the room and into Harry's lap. "I picked up some more mice for Quicksilver. She's been going after mine again."

Harry took the box and set it down next to his seat. "Thank you. I'll tell her to leave them alone," he said quietly. Albus nodded and returned to his breakfast. Quicksilver was the large black and silver Lake Royal Snake that Albus had given Harry for his birthday last year after the portrait of Helga informed him that the portrait of Salazar had been hissing rude things about Godric again and Harry had defended Gryffindor, not realizing the difference between English and Parsletongue. She normally hunted outside, but had begun molting a few days before, making her belly too sensitive for the grass and blurring her vision. As a result, she had taken to going after the small army of fat mice Albus kept in his office that kept tabs on things that went on around the castle. He just let everyone think he already knew everything.

After finishing his second piece of toast, Harry stood and picked up his plate, then began towards the kitchen, pausing to give the slightly scruffy Fawkes a head rub. He was molting again after being reborn the month before and always took to a nice rub to dislodge any old feathers. Once his plate was clean and put away, Harry re-entered the room and picked up the box of mice, holding it under one arm and giving Fawkes a perch with the other. "Is it alright if I go feed Quicksilver?"

"Of course my boy." Albus waved his wand at his own breakfast dishes, sending them floating towards the kitchen. "If you need me, I will be in my office taking care of some business." Albus stood and let himself out the door to his office after Harry nodded to him and set off for his room, mice and phoenix in hand.

Albus has just sat down and pulled a large, constantly moving model of the universe towards him when his fireplace erupted in green flames. Severus Snape's head appeared from the shoulders up and he looked grumpier than usual for a Saturday morning.

"Albus? Do you have a moment? I need to speak with you."

"Of course, my lad. What is it?"

"Do you mind if I come through? I'd rather have this discussion in person."

Albus cocked his head at the Potions Master, then nodded shortly. With a soft roar, Severus stepped through the flames, managing a perfectly dignified entrance from the dizzying mode of transportation. Albus gestured to a large chair and summoned up a tea service, pouring himself a cup from one teapot, then holding another up for Snape's view. "Care for something to drink Severus?"

"Black tea, if you please."

Albus nodded, and the smell of the steeping tea filled the room. He poured a steaming cup of the brew and handed it to Severus, who took it and sipped slowly. Perfect, as usual, Severus noted with dry satisfaction. Albus always was good with tea. Once the men were both settled with their respective cups, Severus looked up from his tea, balancing the saucer on his knee. "Now, as to why I needed to speak with you."

Albus nodded. "I had assumed that this wasn't just a social call."

Severus acknowledged the truth in the statement with a slight nod. "No. I have reason to believe that there may be someone in the castle other than the usual denizens. I do not know this person's intent, but it seemed to be the best course of action to inform you of this. I would have come sooner but… Suffice it to say that there were some things that came up that could not be avoided."

Albus nodded understandingly. "What make you think that there is someone here who shouldn't be?"

Severus reached into his robes and pulled a small bolt of cloth out. "This."

Albus eyed the shimmering material critically. "Is that what I think it is?"

Severus nodded, set the cloth on the Headmaster's desk, pulled out his wand, and aimed it at the silvery item. "Restitutio." The silvery item shimmered and grew to full size on Albus' desk. The older wizard reached for the invisibility cloak and held it up, examining it closely. "An invisibility cloak, Severus?"

"Yes. I pulled it off of a young man, a teen, last night in the Astronomy Tower. A teen, I might add, that I have never seen in this school at all before last night."

Albus frowned deeply and levitated the cloak over to a cloak rack, where it hung itself neatly next to a bright purple one with yellow canaries twittering madly on the sleeves. "What did this teen look like?"

"Black hair, green eyes, wire framed glasses, and a deep green long-sleeved shirt. He also appeared to be wearing gloves, but that could have just been the light. I could not judge his height. I saw him as he was dropping through the trapdoor and he – " Severus stopped in mid sentence and took a deep breath, preparing to say what was probably the most embarrassing thing he had ever said to the Headmaster. "He petrified me. I could not see any more before he ran off and out of my line of sight." Severus took a sip from his spelled-to-stay-hot tea and shot a nasty look at Albus, who was chuckling behind his hand. "Do I really want to know why you are laughing when there is a teenager running around this school with enough power to breach my personal wards?"

Albus managed to get his amusement under control, but his eyes were still twinkling brightly. "If I told you to forget about him, would you?"

"You know me better than that, Albus."

Albus nodded again, then gave the younger man a hard gaze. "I am going to introduce him to you, but I must have you absolute word that you will not tell anyone about him. Outside of myself, Minerva, and Poppy, no one else knows here at the school about him, excluding a few ghosts and portraits that have sworn to keep their tongues."

Severus frowned in confusion, then nodded. "All right. You have my word." Albus nodded, then turned in his chair to face the stairs that led up to his personal rooms. "Harry?" He asked. "Would you come down here for a moment please?" he turned back to Severus. "He will be here in a moment."

Harry looked up from where he was holding a fat dead mouse out to Quicksilver when Albus' voice floated around him, carried to his ears by a simple Sonorus spell. He dropped the mouse, which the snake gobbled quickly with hissing pleasure, and stood, nearly running towards the stairs that led to the Headmaster's office, almost forgetting to leave Fawkes on his perch in the process. He slowed to a walk and headed down the stairs, automatically going to Albus' chair with a questioning look on his face.

"Ah Harry, I want you to meet someone." Albus gestured to Severus, who had been watching a battle scene on his teacup and had not noticed the boy's silent entrance. He raised his eyes and met Harry's, who looked over at the Potions Master at the same time.

"You!" Severus jumped up, dropping the teacup in the process, which shattered on the floor, spilling tea everywhere. Harry gasped and stumbled backwards towards the stairs, fear at the man's sudden outburst forcing the reason out of his head. Severus took a step forward, ignoring the mess he had inadvertently caused, causing Harry to scramble even more. When the teen reached the stairs, he tripped over the bottom step and fell in a heap, landing on his backside with a heavy thump. When Severus took a third step forward, Harry scrabbled wildly, trying to get up the stairs and away from the dark figure.

Albus shot out of his chair with amazing speed, holding his hand out in a ‘Stop' gesture towards Severus. "Severus! Will you please go stand next to the door?" Severus looked at Albus, who nodded towards the door. "Please." He turned his attention to Harry, who was still in a mess on the stairs and still trying to scrabble backwards up them. "Harry. Calm down. Relax." Albus was sure it was Severus that had unnerved Harry last night; his reaction to the man and the Potions Master's reaction to the boy had confirmed it. He knelt down next to the spooked teen, lowering his voice to a soothing murmur. "It's alright Harry. Calm down. I'm sorry; I should not have surprised you like that. Go back upstairs a calm down a bit. When you have done that, I want you to come back down. Bring Quicksilver with you, if you like. Once I have calmed my friend down a bit, I would like you two to meet each other. Is that okay with you?"

Harry swallowed, eyes flickering between Albus and the man by the door. He had taken up post there, arms folded over his chest, a dark glower on his face. If he had been scary at night, he was absolutely terrifying during the day. At least at night Harry had the shadows to work with, but in the bright office, he had nowhere to slip off to. He nodded briefly to Albus, who helped him up, and scurried up the stairs, leaving the older men alone again.

Severus watched the boy leave and cocked an eyebrow at Albus when the door at the top of the stairs slammed shut with a dull thud. Albus nodded to him and gestured to the chair again. Severus sat, giving the Headmaster a calculating look. "All right, Albus. I know I may not be the most handsome or nicest person in the world, but I have never in my life elicited that severe a reaction from anyone. What is this all about?"

Albus busied himself with cleaning up the spill and fixing the shattered teacup before answering. "Am I correct when I assume that the young man you just saw was the same you saw last night?"

Severus nodded slowly. "Yes, that is the boy. Who is he?" Albus sighed and slumped down in his chair, suddenly looking his age.

"His name is Harry. He has been under my care since he came here when he was eleven; he just had his eighteenth birthday. This would be his seventh year if he were enrolled here."

"If he has been here for so long, why have I never seen him before? Why has he never attended any classes?"

"You have never seen him because he usually reserves his school wandering to the early hours of the morning, when everyone else is usually asleep. He has never attended any classes because Minerva and I have been seeing to his studies. And before you say anything else, no, he is not related directly to me, nor has he ever been sorted into any of the houses." Albus pressed his fingers together and rested his chin on them.

"Why have you and Minerva been taking care of all of his academics? Why has he never been enrolled in the school proper?"

"Both of those questions can be answered in one statement. Minerva and I both thought those would be the best courses of action for him."

"Why?"

"Because Harry is a… Rather special case. Much like you were, Severus. Although Harry's case is worse, I think. Any such situation is terrible, of course, but…" Albus trailed off. Severus rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "It is far too early for riddles Albus. Talk straight please."

The old wizard looked at Severus, surprised slightly. "I'm sorry Severus. Lost myself for a moment there. What I mean to say… Is well… Hmmm… How should I put this?" He paused a moment, thinking. Severus stayed silent, sipping on his recently repaired and refilled cup.

"Harry's parents are dead. Thank Lord Voldemort for that. Voldemort, for one reason or another, didn't kill him. Harry was a baby at the time, and certainly no match for his powers. We never did figure out the how he lived. All we know is that he somehow survived the attack on his family and their house collapsing down around his ears. His family had been living close to the school at the time, and I had gone to help defend their home. I was too late to be of any assistance to them, but I found Harry in the rubble. After some deliberation, I decided that him staying with his family would be the best course of action, lest Voldemort come back to finish the task. Harry's mother had a sister, who was married with a young infant about Harry's age, so I assumed that they would be the best suited to caring for him." He stood and stepped over to the window, reflecting. "How wrong I was…" Albus trailed off again, staring out the window, watching a large group of students gather for a Care of Magical Creatures class.

"A few years ago, when I sent out the letters to the students, I had assumed that Harry would be joining us. He didn't. As you know, every now and then there are students who do not wish to attend Hogwarts, but their parents always contact me explaining why. Harry's family never did. I thought at first that maybe I had just missed him, but after checking with a few sources, I discovered that he had never been sorted. He never got on the train at all. Needless to say, my curiosity was aroused, so I went to investigate the matter. What I found was… Disturbing, to say the least." Albus paused again and sighed tiredly before continuing. "I ended up having to invoke the Student Protection Act that the founders created and removed him from the family."

Severus sat up straighter. "The Student Protection Act, Albus? There haven't been any cases where that was required since…" He trailed off, not wanting to complete the sentence; Albus nodded gravely. "Now you see why I kept him in my care." The older man paused, thinking. "Let me phrase it this way. Think of a House Elf who serves out of fear, not because they wish to. Young Harry had been reduced beyond that. I found out later that when the powers began manifesting themselves, the Dursleys, his relatives, tried to beat the magic out of him. Literally." Severus sat his cup down and rubbed his mouth and chin with one hand, the other clenched tightly on his leg. "He was beaten for his magic?" The words were filled with disgust and revulsion.

Albus nodded again. "Many times, from what I could see. When I found him, he had bruises, cuts, and scars marring his body. It was obvious that he had been hit recently. I hastily removed him from the house and Obliviated every memory of him from their minds, lest they try to come after him in the same way Voldemort might have. With all of the situational factors taken into consideration, Hogwarts seemed the best place to bring him, so I brought him here. The only things he had with him to bring here were the clothing and broken glasses he was wearing at the time, nothing else. I brought him up here at night, so as to not arouse any suspicion. I showed him his rooms, told him that he would be staying with me from then on, and told him that it would be best if he got a little sleep. He stared at the bed like he had no idea of what it was for." Albus closed his eyes and sighed. "I will never forget what he did after that."

Albus swallowed, forcing the words out. "He looked at the bed, then went to the foot of it, and, after a moment, laid down, on the floor, curled up, and fell asleep there. It took me the better part of two weeks to convince him that it was acceptable for him to sleep in a bed, and even then, to this day, I still find him curled up on the floor when he thinks he's done something wrong."

Severus swallowed thickly, resisting the urge to hit something. He had a great deal of hate for anyone who treated children like they were worthless. For all his cutting remarks to and about his students, the faculty knew full well that if the situation required it, he would be one of the first to go to great lengths to protect the students in the face of adversity. He took another sip of his tea to give him something to do with his hands. When Albus didn't say anything more for a moment, Severus thought he was finished; then the older man continued.

"After he arrived, I set about trying to help him cope with the magical world and everything that had happened to him over the previous years. When he first awoke, I summoned Poppy to take care of his wounds. The first thing Harry did when he saw her was run to me; his mind had connected me with safety and just about everything sent him my way. It took me a few minutes to calm him, but once I did, Poppy took care of his cuts and bruises, with him watching in fascination. She told me later that there was nothing she could do for the scars. She left a little after that, giving me instructions to keep his activity level to a minimum until he had gained a bit of weight and was used to all the current changes before introducing him to anything new. The first time I brought him a meal, he stared at it blankly, then looked at me. When I told him to eat, he gave me an incredulous look and then ate so fast he nearly made himself sick. It took some time, but Poppy and I managed to get his eating patterns into a normal routine. The entire time, he never said anything. Not a word. Poppy was beginning to worry that they may have somehow made him mute with their abuse, but we soon figured out that he never spoke because we never told him he could. It took us nearly a week to convince him that he was allowed to speak all the time, and close to three weeks after that to get him to speak in more than a whisper."

Severus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. No wonder the boy had reacted the way he had to Severus' surprised outburst. A small nagging voice in the back of Severus' mind told him that he would have to apologize to the young man later.

"As to his education… Several months after Harry had arrived here, I found him staring in one of the mirrors that I use to check in on classes, giving his full attention to Minerva's first year Transfiguration class. I stood by and watched him for a few minutes. He was copying her movements exactly, repeating the spell as a student would in her class. That weekend, I took him to Diagon Alley to get him the standard first year equipment, including new robes and a wand. When we returned here, he all but ran to where he had left the mirror, but was highly disappointed when she wasn't teaching. It was then that I decided that it would be best if he received special schooling. Watching a class is one thing, but, obviously, a student needs a teacher. After some time, Minerva and I eventually decided that Harry was still too… Er, for lack of a better word, timid, to take classes on his own or with a group of peers. We set up a special schedule for Harry's lessons. Minerva would teach Charms, Transfiguration, Muggle Studies, and Potions –" Here Severus snorted quietly, but Albus either didn't hear him or chose to ignore it. "– and I would teach Arithmancy, Astronomy, and History of Magic. Neither of us put much stock in Divination, so we decided that if he wanted to learn it, we would do our best to teach it, but it would not be a required course. We do not have the available space to take care of many plants, so Herbology had to be limited. Care of Magical Creatures was, unfortunately, also denied. It did not seem wise to have different creatures roaming around in here." Albus paused, collecting his thoughts, then continued on.

"After we set up the schedule, we decided that we would take turns teaching, she would take one day and I the other and switch off from there. Did you know that he is a remarkable student?" Albus nodded when Severus shook his head. "I ended up having to create a secret passage from his chambers to the library. He never seemed to stop reading. Just took it all in and stored it in that fascinating little mind of his."

"You still haven't answered my question though, Albus. If he is such a bright student, why was he never enrolled in the school? I can understand why he wasn't during his first months here, but that does not explain the rest of the time."

"When I said he stored everything away, I meant it. Minerva and I had planned to allow him to join the student population with the rest of his peers at the beginning of what would have been his second year, but by that time he had surpassed that level. By the end of his first year, he was already into the second year texts. Into the third year books a few weeks after Christmas that year. He simply took it all in, never considering that he may have been above the standard. Of course, he is not excellent in every course, no student is, but even with the struggling he did have in some of his classes, he was still above average. We did not think it would be fair to either him or the other students if he were placed in the years ahead of his age group, so everything just ended up working out this way. He has a mind like I have rarely seen before. And speaking of minds… Hello again Harry. Feeling better?" Albus turned in his chair again and beamed at Harry, who had crept down the stairs, Quicksilver wrapped up his left arm, across his neck, and down his right, with some of her tail end trailing on the floor. Severus looked up quickly at the boy; he had not noticed his entrance. Merlin the boy could be as silent as a shadow!

Harry nodded cautiously, keeping a close eye on Severus' movements. The man still unnerved him, but at least now he wasn't yelling or glaring. "Good, good. Please, take a seat." Albus flicked his wand, transfiguring a spare teacup into a third squashy chair for Harry. The teen sat down, scooting close to the arm closer to Albus and further from Severus. Quicksilver unwound herself from Harry's arms and took up residence on his lap, a large, heavy, black and silver coil. Harry began rubbing her head and back absently, picking at dead cells. She hissed darkly when Harry accidentally caught a few scales that weren't quite ready to come off, and Severus eyed the large snake warily. He had no problem with snakes, they were his house mascot after all, he just didn't like one he didn't know hissing like that in his vicinity, especially ones that were blinded by molting. Harry noticed the dark haired wizard's gaze and continued to rub slowly. "She won't hurt you, sir. She's not poisonous." He whispered carefully, trying his best not to do or say anything that would have the man yelling again.

Severus looked up at Harry, then back down to the snake. "I am aware that Lake Royal Snakes are not poisonous. However, that does nothing to ease the fact that they can easily constrict enough to kill a person and she is in molt, which means that as far as she is concerned, I could be the next thing on the menu."

" _No… I doesss not wantsss him. He sssmellsss like nasssty plantsss._ " Harry had to bite the inside of his lips to keep from laughing at Quicksilver's comment but it didn't prevent Albus from noticing the movement.

"Is there something wrong, Harry?" Albus cocked his head in Harry's direction, smiling benevolently.

"Erm… Well… It's Quicksilver. She just made a comment, that's all."

"Oh? Do tell." Albus smiled warmly at the teen; Severus eyed Albus. What was he going on about? There hadn't been a Parseltongue in the school since Riddle; everyone knew that.

"Well…" Harry pointed slightly in Severus' direction. "She said that she doesn't want to eat him. He smells like uh… Nasty plants." Harry cringed slightly, hoping the man wouldn't get mad at him.

Albus stared at Harry for a moment, then burst out laughing; Severus, who did not think the comment was funny, shot a venomous look in Harry's direction, causing the boy to immediately shrink back in his chair, apprehensive of the dark man. Albus noticed the teen and smoothly began to calm the tense atmosphere. "Oh Severus. I know it's not in your nature but do be nice. It's true, you know. Snakes hate most of the plants you work with. It was nothing personal against you."

"Hmph." He glared at the snake again, then took up staring at the boy with the least amount of venom he could put into it when he had just been insulted but someone who had petrified him the night before.

"You work with plants?" Harry's attention was quickly piqued; anyone with any knowledge that he didn't have was automatically upgraded to interesting, in Harry's mind. "Are you a botanist?"

Severus was about to answer the question when Albus piped up. "Oh no, my boy. Severus here is the resident Potions Master. Harry, meet Professor Severus Snape. Severus, this is Harry."

Harry quickly scanned the man and then lowered his gaze to Quicksilver. " _Can you movesss pleassse? I needsss to get up._ " he hissed at his pet. Severus watched in well-concealed astonishment as the snake uncurled from Harry's lap and shifted to the back of the chair, flicking her tongue over his ear in the process.

Once rid of the heavy snake, Harry stood, stepped over to the chair Severus was in, and extended his hand carefully, locking his eyes with the older man the way Albus had instructed him to whenever he met anyone. Well no wonder he had first thought that the older man didn't have eyes! The Potions Master's eyes were pitch black; it was impossible to tell where the irises began and the pupils ended. Upon closer inspection, Harry realized that everything about the man screamed darkness. His shoulder length black hair, inky black robes, and cool demeanor all gave a ‘mess with me and die a nasty, painful death' aura to him. The offset of the robes and hair were the long, elegantly formed pale hands and face the same pale color. His high cheekbones and slightly bent nose, combined with his piercing eyes, gave him the overall appearance of a hawk. He wasn't good looking in the present sense, but more in the elegant style and classical sense of the word. "It's very nice to meet you, sir." Harry said, somehow remembering his manners in the face of the easily terrifying man.

Severus watched the boy carefully, sizing him up as he did with all the people he was introduced to. The boy didn't look like much, even though he could tell that he was nearly the same height as Severus himself. The young man had messy black hair and bright green eyes behind silver wire-framed glasses. He was wearing a pair of black jeans with the legs tucked into a pair of soft boots, and a dark blue long-sleeved and high necked shirt with the sleeve cuffs tucked into a pair of black dragon hide gloves. His skin was completely hidden by clothes, except for the top of his neck and his face, which was the same pale shade of someone with dark skin who spent too much time inside. He was slightly built, but had obvious muscles that Severus attributed to carrying the large snake around, more than likely.

He easily held the teen's eyes while he extended his hand and grasped Harry's in a strong handshake. He was surprised when his hand was held onto with a firm grip in return. Perhaps there was more to this boy than met the eye. "It is nice to meet you as well, Harry." They shook for a quick moment, and then released each other's hands, Severus relaxing against the back of his chair and Harry going back to his.

Harry shifted slightly when the weight of Quicksilver pressed down on his shoulder, her face close to his. Her eyes were still slightly cloudy, but seemed to be clearing up nicely. After a quick flick of her tongue, she wrapped her way along Harry's body and chair to the floor, gliding smoothly along the carpet to Severus' chair, where she reared up impressively, eyeing him with cool interest.

Severus sat perfectly still in his chair while the large snake examined him and barely managed to suppress a flinch when she leaned forward and flicked the end of his nose with her tongue, then hissed at him. Severus turned his head in Harry's direction, but Quicksilver moved as well, keeping her eyes on Severus.

"Harry? Would you mind providing a translation? I would rather like to know what she is saying to my Potions Master." Harry nodded quickly, then looked at Severus; he was still intimidating, but it reassured Harry that the man could be put at odds with his pet. "She wants to know if you really are a Potions Master."

Severus nodded slowly. "Yes." Quicksilver hissed again.

"And do you really teach here?"

"Again, yes." After Harry translate, the large snake made what could have passed for a shrug, if she had had a neck and shoulders. With a long hiss, she bumped her nose against Severus' cheek, then lowered herself and slunk off, disappearing under a large cabinet; Severus shot Harry a questioning look.

"She said that you are acceptable and allowed to share our den, and she apologized for destroying the snake statue by your door."

"She did that? I had been wondering who had vandalized my door guard." He sent a nasty look at the cabinet, then settled back into his chair, frowning.

" _What doesss Harry think of the nasssty plantsss man?_ " The question came from under a different cabinet behind Severus' chair.

" _He ssseemsss to be all right. He isss not very friendly though, and he isss mad that you brokesss his door guard._ "

" _The ssstatue dessserved it!_ "

 

**A NEW COURSE AND NEW ROOMS**

Albus had been about to question Harry about the snake's last comment when a low grinding sound began emanating from the doorway. Harry quickly stood up and went over to where his cloak still hung; he pulled it down and around himself right as the grinding halted and the door to Albus' office opened, revealing Professor McGonagall, looking very prim and proper in her emerald green robes with her hair pulled back in a tight bun.

"Good morning Albus." She stepped forward, then noticed Severus. "Oh, good morning Severus. I didn't see you there." Severus nodded in greeting to her, but made no move to get up from his seat. She turned back to Albus, who was watching them both with some amusement. "Albus, I just came by to drop off some papers." She held up a roll of parchment for the older man to see.

"Ah, thank you. Harry has been waiting for these." He held them out towards the cloak rack. "Here you are Harry."

"Albus," hissed Minerva, jerking her head slightly in Severus' direction.

Harry dropped the cloak and hung it back up carefully before taking the papers from Albus, examining them with interest. "Thank you Professor McGonagall." The witch looked like she was about to faint as she glanced at Severus, who showed no surprise at Harry's reappearance.

"As you can see, Minerva, Severus is now in on our little secret. No need for secrecy with him anymore." Minerva gave Severus another look and then shrugged, settling herself in what had been Harry's chair. "Well, since he's now part of this, I think we should ask him. Merlin knows I can't teach Harry any more about potions. And would you believe that Harry has gone and gotten himself a copy of Moste Potente Potions? He wants to do things out of there and I am just not well versed enough in Potions to give him the information he desires."

"Ah yes, I did actually know about his latest acquisition. That was my doing, if you must know." Minerva rolled her eyes. "Although I agree with you on the part regarding Severus."

Severus frowned. "If you two are agreeing about something regarding me, would you mind informing me about it, if it is not too much trouble on your parts?" He asked acidly.

The two older adults turned to him, but Minerva spoke first. "Well, as I am sure you know, I have been teaching Harry on the topic of Potions." Severus nodded shortly, waiting for her to continue. "Well, I have taught him as much as I can, which isn't enough. We've gotten to the point where what I do know isn't enough to satisfy his curiosity."

Albus glanced over to where Harry was standing, chewing on his lip slightly. "Do you still have that potion recipe, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "Yes."

"Would you go get it for me?"

Harry, who could never deny Albus anything, immediately went back upstairs, leaving the three adults to converse quietly. He returned a moment later with a large, musty tome, which Severus eyed with interest. The title glinted at him from the spine and he was surprised to note that the book appeared to have been very well used. He had his own copy of the book in his office, and was internally pleased to note that there were loose sheets of paper sticking out of the book at odd angles, the sign of notes put away with care to leave a corner sticking out in a bookmark fashion. Many of his own books were marked in that manner. Harry set the large book down on Albus' desk and pulled it open, flipping to a page in the middle and pointing at it. "It was this one."

Albus examined the book, deep in though. "Ah yes. I remember this one. Wasn't this the exact potion that convinced you that you had taught you as much as you could in the subject of Potions, Minerva?" Minerva examined the book, then nodded and made an annoyed face at the pages.

"Severus? Would you mind lending us the use of your expertise? I never was much in Potions." Severus nodded and made to stand up, but Harry had already brought the book to him, still open to the page in question. He held it out to Severus carefully, not wanting to drop the old book and Severus took it with the same amount of care and pulled it into his lap, examining the pages. He recognized the potion immediately, and frowned slightly. "Do I really want to know why you were trying to brew a Mandrake Restorative Draught?"

Harry fidgeted slightly. "Well, it was just the next one in the book. There were ones before that didn't work either, but we thought we could do this one."

"Hmph. Never mind the fact that this is one of the more delicate Mandrake based potions that must be watched continuously and brewed with exact timing." He continued scanning the pages. "Where was is that things starting going wrong?"

Harry shifted to stand next to the arm of the chair so he could see the pages as well. "Here, sir," he said, pointing about halfway down the page. Severus scanned the page from that point on. After a moment, he asked, "What kind of Mandrake were you using?"

"Dried and shredded. It was all we had on hand, Severus." Minerva answered the question for Harry when he glanced at her, lost on what the Potions Master meant.

He sighed and closed the book. "That was your problem. The Mandrake must be fresh for this potion to brew correctly. Dried Mandrake cannot produce enough sap to react with the rest of the ingredients and stabilize the mixture. A simple mistake, although not one many come across, all things considered."

Albus smiled widely at Severus. "Excellent! Well, Severus, since you know all about Potions, then this would be a wonderful time to ask if you would mind giving Harry private advanced lessons on your subject. After all, you are the Master on the topic."

Severus placed his hands on the book, thinking. He would like to know just how much about potions the teen knew if Albus though he was a worthy enough student to warrant private advanced lessons, but if the boy had never been outside of these chambers except at night, it would be difficult to manage the courses. This was no area to be having Potions lessons, and they were too far from the Dungeons for Harry to just stroll to whenever he wanted.

Albus, ever the mind reader, turned a fatherly smile to Harry. "Harry? Would you mind taking your book and putting it away please?" Harry nodded and took the book from Severus, then went upstairs again. Once the door was shut, Severus voiced his thoughts to the Headmaster, who nodded.

"Yes, there is that, but I have been considering the matter deeply and have come to the conclusion that we cannot keep young Harry in these rooms for the rest of his life. Although the reasons behind his problems with dealing with other people are well founded, I think it would be in his best interest if he had his own rooms and had a reason to interact with other people."

"But he has his own rooms, Albus." Minerva stated; Albus shook his head slowly. "No, Minerva, he does not. He is in an extension of my rooms. As you well know, he just turned eighteen. A young man needs his own rooms that he can retreat to, without feeling as if he is intruding in someone else's living space. If he were to start taking private lessons in a class he happens to be very proficient in, it would perhaps be enough to get him to come partway out of his shell. And, as Severus stated, it would be better if he were close to the Potions Labs if he is to have private lessons in that subject. He is right, this is no area to be working with potions in."

Minerva frowned, deep in thought. "But if Harry was never sorted, where would we put him? Except for the Professor's chambers, and the private rooms of the Prefects and Head Boy and Girl, there are no other rooms."

"We could always make them. The castle has always been able to make new rooms and passageways when they were needed, and this would be a time of need. We could move all of his things there, and create a passageway that would connect here, if he needed it."

Minerva nodded slowly. "I suppose that would be acceptable. Severus, can you think of any reason why that wouldn't work?" He shook his head. "No, nothing immediately comes to mind. Of course, I do not know Harry very well, but that seems to be an acceptable solution. We can work out a schedule for his lessons once he is set in his new rooms. Am I correct in assuming that when you said private lessons, you meant one-on-one?" Albus nodded.

"Well, I will see what I can do. Taking my off periods and Office Hours into account, will once every two or three days be acceptable?"

"Perfectly! Thank you for this Severus." Severus nodded to the older man, and stood, setting his cup on the forgotten tea service. "Well, now that we have this all settled, I really must be going. I still have essays to grade and I will need to set up a test for Harry to take to judge his proficiency and decide where the best place to start with his lessons would be. Good day Albus, Minerva." He nodded to the two and stepped over to the door.

Minerva followed suit. "I must be going as well. Thank you for your time, Albus." She smiled warmly at the older man.

"Any time, Minerva. I will get in touch with you when Harry and I decide where his new rooms will be."

The witch nodded and followed Severus out the door. When the grinding of the stairs halted, Albus turned to the stairs to his rooms, where Harry was standing, a look of worry on his face "Ah, my lad. Did you need something?" Harry looked at Albus apprehensively, then swallowed, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other.

"Am I going to start having private lessons then?" He asked quietly, examining the toes of his boots. "And different rooms?" The second question was quieter than the first; he didn't seem too thrilled about the idea of leaving the safety of Albus' rooms.

Albus nodded, smiling. "We all think that it might be a nice change of pace for you to have own rooms to share with Quicksilver. You would also be closer to the Dungeons, which would make it easier for you to have your Potions lessons, since this isn't really the best location for them."

Harry nodded once slowly, still chewing on his lip. "Okay. I guess I could try them out. I would still be able to come back here though, wouldn't I?"

"Of course, my boy! We'll even make a special passage for you to use if you need to come back here quickly." Albus beamed at the boy, gesturing towards one of the shelves that lined the walls of the old office. "In fact, I have a map of the school that you can look at. It will show you all the areas where we can build you rooms and we will be able to figure out where we can place that hallway." He waved his hand towards a large shelf; an old map flew to him and he handed it to Harry. "Here. You take this and decide where you would like your new rooms to be. Just let me know when you're finished and we'll take it to Minerva and get everything set up next weekend. How does that sound?"

"Okay. Thank you Albus." Harry took the map and disappeared up the stairs again.

 

**MOVING IN, MEETING NEW PEOPLE, AND A FEW TESTS**

Over the next few days, Harry, with the help of Albus and the map he had let him borrow, found a large area on the first floor of the school that would be converted into what would be Harry's new rooms. The area was almost directly below where Albus' office and quarters were, so a secret stairway could easily be made for Harry to use when he wished. The area was close to the Grand Staircase and the Main Hall, so it would only take Harry a few minutes to go downstairs and into the Dungeons for his private lessons with Professor Snape, and, much to Harry's delight, there was a statue of a fat man with a caterpillar moustache that led almost directly to the library, allowing Harry the ability to avoid nearly all the student contact that he would have run into otherwise. He didn't tell Albus about his delight at the statue though, knowing that Albus wanted him to have more contact with the student population, even if it was only with one or two people.

True to his word, the weekend after meeting Severus, Albus, Harry, and Minerva met on the first floor near the fat statue after lunch and began constructing his rooms, which basically involved Albus talking to the castle – a strange action to watch, considering that Albus would actually talk to the walls, directing them on how he wanted them to rearrange themselves – and Professor McGonagall running off any curious students that stuck their noses in where they didn't belong with threats of a double homework load, while Harry stood under his invisibility cloak, watching the whole proceedings with interest.

A few hours later, Harry was examining his new rooms with Quicksilver, pleased with how well Albus had made his rooms. They were almost an exact copy of the layout of Albus' personal rooms with his bedroom, the living area, the study, and the kitchen area being in the same location as in the older wizard's rooms, and his own personal, if small, library where Albus' bedroom would have been. Next to the door by a large window was a second door, which lead to the secret staircase that would open up into Albus' kitchen area if Harry needed to speak with him.

"Well Harry? What do you think?" Harry looked at the old wizard, who was smiling proudly at his work. "It's very nice. Thank you Albus." He turned back to the living area, where they were currently standing, and began chewing on his lip again.

"Is something wrong, my boy?" Albus put one of his withered hands on Harry's shoulder comfortingly.

"Well, no, not really. It's just so… So big, and empty in here. It's very strange."

"Ah! Well, fear not, we'll have some furniture and things in here in no time. Transfigured objects work well enough for temporary accommodations, but real items would be better to have in the long run. Now," Albus sat down in a conjured chair, summoning one up for Harry, who sat, Quicksilver coiling around the legs and back. "As to what the story is. Have you come up with any ideas?"

Albus had told Harry that he needed to come up with a reason for his living in the school when he wasn't a student in case anyone, Merlin forbid, asked him why he was there. Harry had been thinking on it while moving his personal possessions into his new rooms and had come up with what he had hoped would be a good story. "I thought that, since I would be working with Professor Snape, that I could say something like I was here assisting him." He looked up hopefully. It was the best idea he had come up with, but it still left a lot to be desired, in his opinion.

Albus nodded, pleased. "Well, that certain seems like a logical reason. I think that will work very well!" He smiled at his young charge, who smiled back, although not as brightly. "You know my boy, you really do have some wonderful ideas. Now, how about joining me for dinner?"

Harry nodded quickly and went into the fully stocked kitchen area and began spelling up a meal for the two of them. While they were eating, Minerva dropped by to examine the rooms and pass her judgment on them, and to tell Harry not to worry about his door, which she had spelled to be invisible to anyone who was not looking for it directly and already knew what they were looking for, and Severus stopped by a little after that, with Minerva's help, to tell Harry that their first meeting would be Monday evening before dinner in his office, since Harry's fireplace had not yet been connected to the school Floo Network. Once they had both left, Albus set a Silencing spell on Harry's chambers, so he could play music at his discretion without having anyone outside hear it, and a Password spell on Harry's door, which would allow Harry to set and change the password to his rooms as he liked, and made ready to leave. When he was at the door, he put his hand on the teen's shoulder again. "Don't worry about anything Harry. Everything will work out for the best, and you know where my rooms are if you need me." He gave Harry another fatherly smile and left, leaving Harry and Quicksilver in their new rooms.

Harry turned to the eerily quiet area and shivered, not liking how empty and silent it was, then quickly ran to his new library and pulled out one of the books, flipping to the third chapter. Five minutes later the soft strains of Beethoven floated through the rooms, banishing the quiet; Albus had been delighted when Harry had expressed an interest in music and had given him the book, which contained spells for all types of music, magical and not, from classical to loud, heavy rock, to tribal, and everything in between, including polka made just by accordions.

Pleased with the version of ‘Sonata Quasi una Fantasia' that was currently playing, Harry picked up Quicksilver and sat down in front of his very own fireplace with a large book on Potions and began flipping through it to where he had left off with his last minute studies that morning.

~~

The next morning, Harry awoke to the sounds of birds singing merrily and the sun shining in on his face in a very rude, if cheerful, manner. He yawned and stretched, then sat up, looking around the blurry room, which came into focus after he had put his glasses on, and got out of his bed, pleased that he had managed the night successfully. He shivered when his mind ran past the horrible nightmares that he sometimes had about that place, but quickly shoved those thought away in favor of breakfast. He tugged at his pajamas that he had slept in, shaking a leg loose from where it was jammed up around his knee, and began towards the kitchen area, reapplying the music spell from last night, changing from the soft strains of classical to something the book had called ‘Pop Rock'. When Harry had first read that chapter, he had had mental images of rocks popping like bubbles, but when the spell was in place, he realized it was actually much different. The book had a very large and extensive index of Muggle and Wizarding bands and songs that was constantly updating itself and he recognized the song currently playing as ‘Mad Season' by the Muggle band 20 Matchboxes, or something like that.

When he entered the kitchen, he was surprised to see that breakfast had already been made and a chilled decanter of pumpkin juice was waiting for him on the table. He blinked and poked at the food, not sure about what had been going on; he hadn't made anything, what with being asleep and all, and Albus hadn't mentioned anything about making breakfast for him. He looked at the food again, then sat down and starting eating, pleased that he didn't have to cook; Albus didn't make him cook, but he liked being useful. At least when he worked around Hogwarts it was because he wanted to and not because he would get in trouble if he didn't.

When he was finished, he picked up his plate and started to the sink; he thought for a moment while he was walking, then decided that he rather liked the classical music that had been playing the night before, so switched it back before cleaning and storing the breakfast supplies. Suddenly, an ear splitting shriek resounded through his quarters and he turned with a start, just in time to see a small creature running past the living area and into the kitchen, Quicksilver hot on its heels. The small thing darted behind Harry's legs and grasped his pajama legs, trembling and squeaking in fear.

" _Quicksssilver! Ssstop it! Leavesss thisss creature alonesss!_ " Harry hissed at his pet, who stopped abruptly and stared at Harry.

" _It isss an intruder. Let me eatsss it._ " The large snake eyed the odd little creature, who shook and shrunk back further.

" _No. Letsss me sssee what it wantsss, firssst. Go awaysss, you're ssscaring it._ "

With a last hungry look at the creature, Quicksilver slunk off, muttering under her breath. Once she was out of the immediate area, Harry turned around to examine the little being, who was staring gratefully up at Harry out of huge eyes twice the size of dinner plates.

"Oh thank you Master Wizard sir!" The thing bowed deeply at Harry's feet, its large, bat-like ears touching the floor. "Dobby would have been eaten for sure if Master Wizard hadn't saved Dobby! Dobby owes Master Wizard his life!" The elf bowed even lower, pressing its forehead to the floor.

Harry stared at the creature blankly. "Uh… Dobby, was it?" The creature looked up from under its dishrag hat, still groveling. "Yes Master Wizard. That is Dobby's name, sir."

"Can you tell me, what exactly are you?"

"Dobby is a Hogwarts House Elf, Master Wizard sir! Dobby lives to serve Hogwarts any way possible!"

Harry blinked at the elf, who had resumed bowing in a ridiculously low manner; he knew of the House Elves in employ at Hogwarts, but had never actually seen one. "Why are you in here? I didn't summon you."

"Dobby is here making breakfast for Master Wizard! Master Headmaster Dumbledore sends Dobby to make you feel at home here!" The elf seemed very proud of himself for getting to speak with Albus and do his work personally.

"When did he tell you to do this?"

"Master Headmaster Dumbledore sends for Dobby this very morning. He tells Dobby that there is a new wizard living at Hogwarts and tells Dobby to make sure he feels at home here, sir!"

"Oh. I had wondered who had made breakfast for me. You can stop bowing now." The elf stared up at Harry with adoration bordering on obsession, nearly bouncing out of his skin. "Did Dobby do a good job with breakfast, Master Wizard sir?" It occurred to Harry that if he said no, the elf might go throw himself out of a window somewhere, so Harry nodded quickly, and in truth, he had done a good job. At Harry's nod, the elf's energy grew ten fold; he looked like he was going to start bouncing off the walls in a moment or two.

"Dobby, listen, that snake that came after you earlier…" Dobby's ears drooped and his face fell in pure despair. "Dobby did a bad thing, coming here Sir? Oh, bad Dobby! Bad!" The elf ran over to a set of cabinets and began banging his head against it with a dangerous amount of force.

"No! No, no, no! It wasn't that! Dobby! Stop! Stop hitting yourself!" Harry ran over and pulled the small elf away from his self-imposed torture session. "You didn't do anything wrong! I just wanted to tell you that if you want to get her to leave you alone when you come here, just bring a dead rat or something for her. She loves those."

Dobby stared up at Harry and nodded quickly, in danger of losing his hat; when he was done answering Harry, he quickly straightened up. "Oh, Master Wizard sir! Dobby must be going now! Dobby is needed in the kitchens!"

"Alright, you can go. Oh, and Dobby? You don't have to call me Master Wizard. My name is Harry. Just call me that."

"Oooohhh… Dobby must never call Master Harry by just his first name alone. It is not Dobby's place. Dobby will be back later with lunch, Master Harry." The elf snapped his spindly fingers and was gone before Harry could say anything else; Harry had just finished scratching his head in confusion about what had just happened when, a minute later, Quicksilver came slinking in.

" _Oh. The yummy sssmelling intruder isss gonesss._ " The snake was obviously highly disappointed at losing her breakfast.

" _Yesss, he isss gone, and you will leavesss him alone. If you are nicssse to him, he will bringsss you a rat or sssomething the next time he comesss._ "

" _In that cassse, I thinksss I can be nicssse. Yummy. I hopesss he bringsss me sssomething good!_ "

~~

That evening, Harry looked up from where he had settled himself in front of the fire with a few books when his new alarm clock went off. Albus had stopped by earlier in the day to give him his new furniture and had included a cute little alarm clock that was shaped like a golden snitch, his favorite Quidditch ball. It normally fluttered around his rooms, but if he called for it, or if the alarm went off for whatever reason, it would zoom straight to Harry and place itself where it could be seen. It was now bobbing roughly half a meter away from him, the display stating ‘Half an hour until Potions!'

Harry stood from where he was and went to his bedroom to finish dressing. He had been wearing plain Muggle style clothing, but decided that it would probably make a better impression to wear robes to his lessons. He glanced down at his current attire. Plain black jeans tucked into his favorite dragon hide leather boots, a plain long-sleeved silver shirt with the usual high collar and the sleeves tucked into his dragon hide gloves. All of his daywear clothes had the same fashion: cover as much skin as possible. He reached into his wardrobe and pulled out a set of plain robes, putting them on carefully and fastening the buttons. On an afterthought, he grabbed a new quill and bottle of ink, stowing the items in an inside sleeve pocket. Once finished, he ran a hand through his hair, which promptly fell back into its usual messy state, donned his invisibility cloak and left his chambers, hissing at Quicksilver in passing, telling her not to worry if he was a little late.

Once he had shut his door securely and locked it, Harry looked around the hallway he was in. He vaguely recognized it from his nighttime wanderings, but hadn't been down it recently, preferring to haunt the upper levels of the school rather than the lower ones; the lower he went in the school, the further from the safety of Albus' rooms. He shivered, realizing that if he got in trouble now, it would take longer to run to Albus' rooms than before.

"Okay Harry. You can do this. You've got your invisibility cloak. You've got an excuse if anyone sees you, which they won't. All you're doing is going downstairs two levels and to the Potions Office. Easy." He shivered again and set off, trying to tell himself that he wasn't leaving the safety of the school and that everything would be fine.

He walked swiftly down the stairs and across the Main Hall, stopping every now and then and slipping into an available alcove when students came near him. The Grand Staircase gave him no difficulty, as it was easy to dodge students going up and down, and the Main Hall was, on the whole, empty of any students. It was still early enough that the majority of the school hadn't begun traveling to the Great Hall for dinner, so he was safe, for the most part. He nearly had a heart attack, however, when he realized the problem with the final part of his journey. If he was entering the Dungeons, then he was moving towards the Slytherin House. Which meant that any students going to dinner would be traveling along the same hall he was, and there weren't any side alcoves here like on the upper levels. And weren't the Slytherins supposed to be the meanest students in the school? He paused, listening carefully, but couldn't hear anyone coming his way. With a quiet sigh or relief, he began walking swiftly down the cold hall towards where the Potions Office was supposed to be.

A minute later, Harry located the door to Professor Snape's office, which he easily recognized due to the fact that the snake statue near the door was cracked in a spiral pattern that he recognized as Quicksilver's work. He had knocked on the door quietly when he heard footsteps coming in his direction. There was someone talking, telling someone else that he wanted to talk to Professor Snape and that he would be to dinner in a few minutes and to not wait for him. Harry had been about to bolt down the hallway back to his rooms when the door to the office opened, revealing Professor Snape. Harry watched the older man's eyes look back and forth right though him, then he cocked his head to one side, somehow giving Harry the impression that he could actually be seen. Harry shifted, making a slight rustling sound, and Severus nodded slightly, stepping back from the door far enough to allow the teen's entrance. Harry stepped inside, then watched as Severus glanced down the hallway in the direction of the voices; he listened for a second, then sighed and, with a muttered "Not him again," shut the door.

"Stay under the cloak Harry. A student is about to come in. You may wait next to the bookcase." Severus gestured to a bookcase filled to bursting with large books and musty tomes and Harry went to it, the slight, barely audible rustle of his cloak the only sign that there was anyone else in the room at all.

Severus had just placed himself behind his large desk that was covered with potions related items when a second knock came to the door, this one louder than Harry's had been.

"Enter!" Barked Severus loudly. The door promptly swung open, revealing a teen that Harry guessed was about his age, with pale blond hair and an elegantly pointed face. His hair had been pulled back at the nape of his neck with a thin cord that Harry noted was tied in a bow, the cord matching the same tarnished silver color of his eyes. He was wearing the plain black robes of a student, with a green and silver tie, and a small pin on his chest with a ‘P' overlaying a snake.

"Hello Professor Snape," The boy drawled.

"Mr. Malfoy." Snape acknowledged the young man, not bothering to look up from whatever it was he was reading. "My office hours will be beginning after dinner, which you would know if you bothered with reading the notice board in the common room."

The blond stepped over to the large desk and leaned on it in a very friendly manner, obviously not bothered by the gruff tone from the older man. "I just came by to tell you that there are some Ravenclaws that got themselves a detention earlier today and were absolutely thrilled to find that they get to serve it with you." Harry noted with a frown that the boy seemed rather pleased with himself for this; he glanced back to Severus from where he was examining the boy in time to see the professor roll his eyes and give the blond an unimpressed look. "And why are they spending their time with me?"

"I thought it was only fair, since they were going on about a, and I quote, ‘right bastard of a Potions Master who could use an entire personality makeover and a facial to go with it.'" Malfoy smirked at the man, who glowered darkly. Harry was very grateful that that look wasn't directed at him; the other teen was not cowed in the slightest. "That was all."

Severus sighed and went back to his papers. "Thank you for informing me of your decision. You may go now. But, I want you to remember next time that I keep office hours for a reason. I would like some time to myself to take care of my business without anyone interrupting me." He never looked up from his papers.

The blond made a slight face that Harry thought was a pout, then straightened up and made for the door.

"And Mr. Malfoy, before you go." The blond turned back to the man, an inquisitive look on his face. "Yes, Professor?"

"The next time you feel like leaning on my desk, do try to be a little more choosy about where you place your elbows. You put yours on a still wet piece of parchment and now have a badly written and thoroughly graded essay on the properties of Mugwort on your sleeve." Harry thought he saw the man smirk in an evil manner, but wasn't sure. The blond stared at his sleeve, which did in fact have "Poorly researched and sloppily written" shining wetly from slightly lower than his elbow. He glared at the stain and left in a huff, slamming the door harder than necessary as he went.

Severus shook his head at the closed door and returned to his papers. "You may come out now."

Harry pulled the cloak back from his head and slipped out of it, hanging it carefully on a nearby hanger in the shape of a large shake. The hook's mouth clamped down on the cloth, holding it tightly. After examining the hook, he sat down in a large chair in front of the desk, perching on the edge. Professor Snape pushed a large scroll to the front and said, without looking up from where he was working, "You will take this and complete it to your best ability. It is a test with material from first to fifth years, designed to allow me to examine your strengths and weaknesses. You may work from the desk over there." Harry turned to where Snape gestured. There was a small desk by the corner of Snape's desk; Harry was sure that it hadn't been there a moment ago. "When you are finished, you may leave."

Harry nodded, took the test, and settled himself in the desk. After pulling out his ink and quill, he unrolled the test and examined it carefully, then, with a thoughtful look of concentration on his face, set to his task.

It was nice, he thought while idly filling in a question about dandelion fluff, having something to concentrate on other than the stern man sitting not even a meter from him. Harry had come to the conclusion that Severus Snape, while a man who obviously knew his stuff, was as cold and sharp as a dissecting knife, and about as unforgiving as one as well.

~~

An hour later, Professor Snape looked up from his last essay and over to the test where Harry was sitting, chewing on the tip of his quill, staring at a spot on the wall. With a small nod to himself, he leaned forward back to the test and began hastily scrawling at the top of a section entitled, ‘State the properties of Silverleaf, how it directly reacts with the human body upon digestion, absorption, and inhalation, how it directly and indirectly reacts with other common potions ingredients, and its uses and misuses.' Snape watched in slightly surprised fascination as the teen quickly penned out almost every known property of the plant, touching on its roots, stem, leaves, and flowers, a list of human reactions to the plant, ranging from minor to major, the plant's reaction to five other ingredients it was commonly used with, and a list of potions the plant was used in, including the more addictive painkillers and the quite useful Eyesight Correcting Potion. That was rather surprising on the boy's part; that particular essay question was one of Severus' favorite ones to use on his nastier tests and had never failed to make students feel faint before now.

While Harry worked on the next question, ‘State your view on the legalization of Wolfsbane,' Severus gave the boy another thorough examining, letting his eyes roam over what he could see of the young man. His hair was still messy, but it had the look of intended messiness, with the fringe constantly falling in his eyes. He saw a thin scar on the boy's forehead in the shape of a lightning bolt when Harry blew his bangs out of his eyes, but it was quickly obscured again when his hair fell back to where it was. He had rather large eyes, now that they could be seen from the side without anything obscuring them, as the boy had the bad habit of staring at just about anything except another person and his hair kept falling into his face, and a rather delicate chin, giving him the overall appearance of youthfulness. Something about the boy's appearance nagged at his mind, but he pushed it to the back burner, continuing with his inspection. The collar of his shirt enclosed around his throat in the fashion of a Muggle turtleneck and the sleeves of his robes fell over the tops of the gloves that he was wearing again, obscuring his hands from view; the gloves seemed thin enough, but were obviously made of strong dragon hide leather and forced Severus to wonder why the boy was wearing cold weather clothes during such warm weather.

Severus leaned back in his chair, allowing his fingers to pop loosely as he stretched them, and glanced over to his bookcase where a large tome was waiting for him. He stared at it for a minute, debating whether he wanted to retrieve it, when a soft rustling alerted him to movement. Harry had put the finishing touches on the test and was rolling it up, his quill sitting on top of his inkbottle. He retied the string around the test and looked at Professor Snape, who held out his hand for it; Harry handed it over and looked at the man, waiting patiently. Snape eyed the test for a moment, then set it on his desk and stood, motioning for Harry to follow suit; the teen stood and retrieved his two supplies.

"Now that you are finished, you may go. I will contact you when I have finished with your test and decided on the best course of action. If you have done well enough here, I will give you another, harder test. If not, I will consider whether you have what it takes to warrant special lessons. I will warn you now, if I decide that you are good enough, this will not be easy. I do not expect anything less that the absolute best from any of my advanced students. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." Harry said quietly and retrieved his cloak, pulling it around his shoulders, leaving his head floating in midair. Severus gestured to the door and went to open it; Harry followed after him, pulling the hood up and over his head. He was about to leave when he felt Severus' hand on his back, ushering him out of the office, and flinched reflexively under the cloak, then took off quickly with a muttered "Goodbye Professor."

Severus eyed where the boy would have been, if he could have seen him, wondering just what could have been done to the boy that he was still flinching nearly so many years after being removed to Hogwarts.

~~

Harry was walking down the hallways leading out of the Dungeons when a cool voice floated to him. It was that Malfoy boy's voice, and he seemed rather pleased with himself.

"Did you see the Weasel's face? It was priceless!" He laughed in his aristocratic voice, and two voices followed suit, laughing in loud guffaws.

Malfoy came around the corner, flanked by two very large boys. Harry shrank back, fear suddenly shooting through him. They reminded him of Dudley, only less fat and more muscle, and Harry had the sinking feeling that they would like nothing more than beating up on someone smaller than them, which meant him. He froze in panic, trying desperately to calm himself in the manner that Albus had taught him to, whenever the memories of them came over him, but he was failing miserably. Professor Snape had already unnerved him enough, just by touching him, and now this! He pressed himself up against the wall where he was standing, praying that the large boy closest to him would not come close enough that he would notice Harry's presence.

"And the way he nearly fainted when I told him that that moron Hagrid would be introducing Giant Tarantulas in class!" This summoned forth another round of laughter from the goons flanking Malfoy, who was grinning wickedly; the grin strongly reminded Harry of the look that Dudley had right before making him do something that generally left bruises or scars, and Harry shuddered, trying desperately to get his mind away from the horrid topic of his relatives.

Harry shrunk back further against the wall, pressing close to a suit of armor, as the trio got closer to him. He could now hear them breathing and he realized with another spike of anxiety that if they were returning, then that meant that dinner must have ended and there would be loads of students that he would have to manage his way through. Fortunately, the large boy closest to him passed right by Harry, having navigated around the armor and not even noticing the trembling boy, much to Harry's relief. As soon as they were far enough away, Harry took off like a shot, not caring that the three might hear his footsteps. He would just let them think he was another student, if they even cared at all.

When Harry reached the Main Hall, his fears were confirmed. There were at least fifty students leaving the Great Hall, all heading up the stairs that he needed to go up, all pressed so close to each other that if he tried to get in there, someone would definitely step on his cloak and notice him. He scanned the area quickly, noting that not many students were congregating around four very large hourglasses with numbers at the bottom, and stationed himself behind them, watching everyone with extreme trepidation.

Harry berated himself for his fear. Normal people weren't afraid of others! He had just finished a lesson, if it could have been called a lesson, with an extremely intimidating man, survived two run-ins with Slytherins, and still had his cloak to protect him; he should have been able to negotiate a few stairs! He took a deep breath, resigning himself to his fear. One-on-one with someone Albus trusted was one thing, but a great mass of students like what was before him was another; something he was sure he wasn't ready to handle. How was he going to get back up to his rooms without having to wait until everyone had left?

Fortunately, although it seemed like an eternity to Harry, it only took about ten minutes for the Main Hall to clear out enough to allow him to slip upstairs unnoticed and back into his rooms. He shrugged off his cloak and hung it up, sighing with relief at the calm silence of his rooms. While it had bothered him last night, after the noise of the students, the quiet wrapped around him like a warm blanket. He heaved a shuddering sigh and sat down heavily in one of the chairs in front of the fire and glanced at his clock, which was currently fluttering around the footstool. It read ‘8.45' in shimmering red numbers and Harry groaned. He had spent nearly two hours in the Potions Master's office, and all he had to show for it was a cramped hand and fear of the student body at large.

Harry reached for a book that was sitting next to the chair and picked it up, opening to the page he had left off at. With a sigh, he settled down and began reading, hoping to center himself enough to be able to get to sleep without nightmares.

~~

Two days later, Harry was idly staring out one of the windows at a large class of Slytherins and Hufflepuffs trooping out to the Herbology greenhouses when his fire crackled and popped, blazing green. He jumped at the sound and turned quickly to see Severus' head and shoulders staring out at him from the fireplace. Harry placed himself in front of the fire on his knees so he could talk to the man easily and cocked his head to one side, giving him the wide-eyed appearance of a slightly confused owlet. "Sir?"

"As promised, I have finished grading your test and have made my decision. I want you to come by here at 8.00 in the morning this Saturday for another test. The morning will consist of a theory test and the afternoon will be a practical."

Harry nodded at the words, internally pleased with himself. While the test he had taken previously hadn't been exactly hard, it had posed a slight challenge at the end and he had tried very hard to impress the man. Then a thought came to him, knocking the pleasure out of him as quickly as if he had been punched.

"Uhm, sir? This Saturday? But…" Severus watched the boy shift uncomfortably. "But what about the students?" He finally pressed out, in barely more that a whisper.

Severus sighed, as if he were explaining something to a particularly slow student. "The majority of the students will be at Hogsmeade this weekend and I have made it known that I will not be keeping my office hours this weekend."

"Oh… Okay then. Thank you sir." He smiled weakly at the older man, who nodded in return and vanished from the flames.

~~

That Saturday, Harry arrived at Professor Snape's office promptly at 8.00, dressed in his usual garb, with an extra bottle of ink and quills in hand. He didn't know what to expect, but guessed that if the entire morning was going to be devoted to theory, it would probably involve a lot of writing.

He hadn't been let down, either. The first thing he noticed upon entering the room and hanging up his invisibility cloak was a large unfriendly looking stack of parchment sitting on ‘his' desk. He looked at the papers uncertainly, then to Professor Snape, who was looking over a long list, checking next to some and making small notes next to the others.

"There is your theory test. I want it finished by lunch. Place any quills you may have brought with you on my desk and take the ones you find there." He did not look up from his list or pause in his note taking. Harry did as he was told, depositing his three quills and taking the two that appeared. He felt them carefully, then went to the desk and sat down. "You may begin." came Severus' voice from behind the list.

Harry took the first sheet and stared at it in shock. If the first page was any indication, this test was indeed much harder than the one he had already taken. Then, with a gulp of apprehension, he dipped his quill into his ink and began.

Four and a half hours later, fingers cramped from writing and back beginning to hurt from being hunched over the desk, Harry circled the answer to the last question and put the paper face first on the stack of upside down papers. He straightened up and raised his arms over his head, stretching hugely. He glanced around the office, noting with sudden surprise that Professor Snape wasn't there. He looked around quickly, hoping that the man was maybe just behind him, but after looking in a full circle, he realized that he was indeed alone. When had that happened? He stood up slowly from where he was, picked up his papers, and set them carefully on the large desk that the Potions Master had been working at, being sure not to jostle any of the papers already settled there. He glanced casually at a set of notes there, then went back to his seat to wait for Severus to return; fortunately, waiting was something he was good at, especially with all the practice he had, spending so much time by himself. He easily amused himself with a dungeon dust bunny that had formed on the hem of his robes while walking to the ‘lesson', sending it floating around the room in lazy circles and odd patterns.

Severus returned only a minute or two later, stepping into his office from a concealed door behind Harry and stopped short, watching the boy play with the dust. He was watching it idly as it glided around the area in front of him, and Severus saw, with a shock, that the boy's wand was nowhere in sight. He was controlling it with a finger that was pointed directly at the speck, the movements of the dust bunny mimicking his finger movement. Severus widened his eyes in surprise. There was more to the boy than met the eye, that was for certain. He stepped from the door fully and shut it, surprising the boy out of his reverie. Surprise was actually not strong enough a word, more like scared the boy shitless, from the way he nearly jumped out of his skin and spun around, the dust ball falling out of his control and floating to the ground.

"I am going to assume that since you are playing with dust motes, you must be finished with your test. You are dismissed for lunch. I expect you back here at 1.00 for the practical portion of your testing." Severus settled himself behind his desk and began writing on the list he had been using earlier, ignoring Harry. The teen, not expecting anything more from the succinct man, stood, returned the quills he had been using, retrieved his own, and donned his invisibility cloak, pulling it around himself like a beloved blanket; he left the office quickly, leaving Snape behind and grimacing at the way his muscles pulled and complained from having been seated for nearly five hours.

Half an hour later, with a stomach full of shepherd's pie and pumpkin juice, Harry reappeared in the Potions Office, after knocking softly and entering at the barked command. He quietly hung his cloak up and looked around the office, taking in the new arrangements. While he was gone, Snape had removed both of the desks and replaced them with a larger lab table, which was covered in potions ingredients, knives, cutting boards, bottles, bowls, and, surprisingly, seven cauldrons of different sizes and materials. Harry stared blankly at the supplies, trying to figure out what he was supposed to be brewing with all the different materials, when Snape handed him a book entitled Advanced Potions, Level 7 and instructed him to open the book to page 351. Harry quickly did as instructed and stared at the page, surprised. He was supposed to be making an antiseptic potion that was used to clean wounds before dressing them, but it didn't require all the ingredients provided and only two cauldrons.

"You have two hours to complete your potion. When you are finished, I want a clearly labeled flagon of it before you begin cleaning up. Do not make a mess of my lab table. Begin."

Harry was about to ask what the rest of the supplies were for when Snape set to work with the three of the other cauldrons, setting their fires to different temperatures and adding different ingredients to them. Harry watched attentively while Snape worked, then turned to his own task.

He read the instructions through once and then picked up a small paring knife and set to work slicing up flobberworms for the base of the potion. By the time he had two of them cut up into equal cubes about twice the size of a galleon, the purified water in his cauldron was simmering softly, and he added the cut up meat, watching as they began to steep, turning the water a murky, dirty brown color. Those had to simmer for exactly eleven minutes, which would give him just enough time to get the boomslang skin shredded and the second cauldron heating. He had discovered during his time with Professor McGonagall that, while he wasn't an amazing student in potions, he was fairly adept, and could generally produce acceptable potions, provided that they didn't get much more complicated that three cauldrons at once.

Harry lowered the fire under the bubbling flobberworms and added the boomslang skin, making sure that each piece was dissolved in the hot mixture before adding the next. While that sat, changing colors from murky brown to slimy green, Harry began his work with his second cauldron. He needed to make a small batch of Moon's Dew infused with Bicorn horn, then add the first cauldron to the second and finish the potion. The Moon's Dew would be the tricky part. Everything had to be added at the exact moment and it all had to be stirred in a specific manner, first clockwise, then counterclockwise, then across the diameter, then clockwise again.

An hour later, everything had been combined and was boiling nicely, allowing the water to evaporate out of the potion before adding a drop of Dragon's Blood and Unicorn Saliva, and Harry was watching Severus work at his potion. It was no wonder that the man was a Potions Master! He now had all five of the cauldrons boiling, simmering, and cooling, and was examining the contents of one of the larger ones when a smaller one made a rude belching sound. Without looking up from the cauldron he was watching, Severus reached out to his supplies, picked up a large bottle and added three drops to the cauldron that had made the sound. He then replaced the bottle, picked up a lid, set it on the cauldron, lowered the fire to nearly extinguished, and began stirring the mixture in a third cauldron, never once looking up from the first cauldron. When he had decided that the cauldron he was looking in had met his standards, he left it and went to a fourth one, picking up ingredients with what seemed like carelessness and adding everything in its proper order, making the entire process look like he was just making tea.

Harry watched the man in awe for a while longer, taking in all of the man's movements, when a timer went off at his elbow. He looked at it, frowning. Why was it there again? Then he remembered what he was supposed to be doing and looked in his cauldron, still frowning. The entire batch seemed far too thick for what the book had stated was supposed to be a fairly thin potion, but Harry continued on with his work, picking up the bottles and adding the drops of liquids. He had just gotten the fire extinguished when his cauldron bubbled in a manner that could only be described as ‘giggly', gave off a large cloud of iridescent pink smoke, and promptly thinned out to a nearly watery state. Grinning widely at the potion, which almost matched the picture in the book, Harry ladled out a sample into his labeled flagon, corked it, and looked at Snape, who was now stirring one cauldron and adding what looked like Scarab Beetles to a second. Deciding that it would be better if he didn't interrupt the man, who would probably throw a large knife that was on hand at him if Harry caused something to go wrong, he set the bottle near the end of the table, far from Snape's supplies, and began cleaning up his area, bottling up unused ingredients, scrubbing out cauldrons, and wiping off knives and cutting boards.

He had just finished cleaning his area and was about to ask if he could be dismissed when Snape gestured him over, pointing to the largest cauldron. "Uncover that and tell me how much is in there." Harry opened did as he was told and frowned in disgust at the slightly pulsing yellow and brown goop in the pot. "It's about three fourths empty, sir." Harry looked up to where Snape was combining the other four cauldrons. He nodded and picked up the cauldron he was working with, and carried it over to Harry, who quickly backed out of the way.

"Stand on the other side of the table and hold that steady while I add this." Harry nodded, moved to the other side of the table, and grabbed the handles of the fully cooled cauldron; Snape began pouring the mixture he was working with into Harry's, watching it carefully.

The overflow happened faster than either of the two could react to. With a loud hiss and a bubbling sound, the two mixtures reacted with each other and began foaming and frothing like a rabid Boarhound. Severus, whose hands were higher than the foam could reach because he was adding his mixture, tossed his empty cauldron aside and slammed a lid down on Harry's. Harry, who was still holding the cauldron, yanked his hands back, but not before his gloves could be drenched with the foam; instantly the gloves began smoking like a malicious, pissed off baby dragon.

Harry stared in horror as he realized what was happening and reached for the tops of his gloves in a desperate attempt to remove them before whatever it was that was on them could eat through to his skin.

"No! Do _not_ touch anything!" Severus barked at him, rushing over. He reached for Harry's hands, grabbing the teen's arm above his smoking glove with one hand and pulling the offending item off so quickly that the glove turned inside out as it slid off. He quickly repeated his movements, stripping off the other glove, and tossed it to its mate, where they sat smoking nastily on the lab table. He then quickly stripped off his own gloves, which had come in contact with the mixture on Harry's. The teen watched in horror as the gloves were completely eaten through by the noxious mixture, leaving only a few spare scraps of material and a puddle of black goop behind.

"Let me see your hands." Harry jerked his head to where Severus was staring at the remains of his gloves, blinked dumbly as the words tried to sink into his still shocked mind, then quickly shoved his hands behind his back when the words finally made sense. When no reply came, Severus turned his head to Harry, who had taken a step back from the slightly taller man, hands still behind his back. "Let me see your hands." He repeated in a stern tone.

Harry stared at the man, eyes wide, until he finally realized that Severus was waiting for him to hold his hands out. "My hands are fine." He said quickly, desperately hoping that his words would be enough.

Severus glared at him. "I need to examine them to make sure you didn't get anything on yourself."

"They don't hurt at all! Really! They're fine!"

"That is beside the point. That mixture destroyed your gloves, which, unless I was mistaken, were dragon hide. If it could do that, then it could do worse to human skin. Now, for the last time, let me see your hands!" His tone allowed no argument, and Harry realized that Professor Snape would not let him leave until he had gotten his way; he lowered his gaze to the floor, then slowly extended his hands to the older man and flinched when they were grasped.

Severus took the boy's left hand in his, pushed the sleeves of his shirt and robes up slightly to see all of his hand and the first five or ten centimeters of his arm and gasped in shock before he could stop himself. Harry's face screwed up in shame and he was forced to blink back tears as the older man realized what he was seeing. Across the back of Harry's pale hands and fingers were long, thin scars, obviously caused by a blade or something of that nature; they had raised and slightly ropey look of cuts that had not healed properly and were obviously very old. Severus turned Harry's hand over and examined the palm carefully. All of the lines on the teen's palm were scarred as well, as if someone had tried to read his future by slicing his hand open. Looking further up the boy's hand to his wrist, Severus noted with horror that there were scars up the boy's arm until they disappeared under his sleeves, with the largest of the scars looking horrifically like marks from attempted suicide by slicing the wrists open.

Severus swallowed, trying to force down the unmoving lump that had closed off his airway; he stared in numb horror at the scars, then glanced up to the boy's still shame lowered face, realizing in part just what had happened to the young man. Those… Those ungodly, atrocious, monstrous, abusive Muggles had done this to him! It looked like they had tortured him! Not knowing what else to do, Severus did the only thing that came to his shocked mind; he frowned slightly and examined Harry's hands for any signs of damage from the potion, trying to ignore the ghastly scars.

"Well, your hands haven't changed color, grown any new digits, or fallen off, so I believe that we managed to get your gloves off before anything could happen," Severus stated brusquely. He looked at Harry's hands for a moment longer, rather than releasing them as he probably should have; even with the scars, the boy's hands were amazingly soft, probably from always wearing the gloves.

When Severus said nothing after his assessment of his hands, Harry lifted his eyes in trepidation to the older man's, praying that he wouldn't see the look of horrified pity that Albus had given him after showing the scars to his guardian, but Severus wouldn't meet his eyes. Harry swallowed, still trying not to let the threatening tears spill over, and pulled his hands out of the Potion Master's warm grip, turning away from the older man so as to not have to see any looks that Severus might have been giving him.

"Excuse me, sir. I should be going. Albus wanted me to join him for dinner. I should get ready to meet him," Harry lied. Albus hadn't asked him to join him, but Severus didn't need to know that. The teen quickly stepped over to where his cloak was hanging, wrapped it around himself, and left, only the door opening and shutting quickly marking his silent passage.

Severus stared at the door for a moment, then glanced at the clock on his wall. ‘Too early for dinner, too late for lunch!' is stated in an unreasonably chipper way, with the time of 3.36 shining underneath the words.

 

 **LEARNING NEW THINGS**  

The next day, Severus was in his lab, examining the remains of the potion experiment gone wrong when a soft knock pulled his attention from the slimy mess; he looked up from the gunk and went to open the door, for some stupid reason hoping and not hoping at the same time that it was Harry. The images of the boy's scarred hands had kept him up most of the night and haunted him in his sleep, mixing with memories of scars of his own, and he had awoken that morning with a pounding headache. After downing a disgustingly sweet headache potion that left his mouth feeling like cotton for the better part of an hour, he had decided that the next time he saw Harry, he would have to apologize for letting the boy's gloves be destroyed.

When he opened the door, he was both relieved and disappointed at the same time to see Albus standing there, canary yellow robes with blue birds flying around in random patterns and a matching hat making him look like a complete idiot, in Snape's opinion. "Headmaster." He nodded to the older man, stepping back to allow entrance.

"Hello Severus. I just came by to see how things were going." He looked around slowly, then back to Severus. "Is Harry not here?"

"No sir. He has not been by today. Why? If you don't mind my asking." Snape straightened and went back to the black slime, staring at it in disgust.

"Oh, just because I haven't seen him in a few days and he's not answering his fire or his door. What have you got there, Severus?" Albus leaned close to the mixture, eyeing it suspiciously.

"A potion experiment gone wrong. I'm trying to figure out what happened." Something niggled at the back of Severus' mind, but he was still tired from the restless night and studying the mixture, and he couldn't quite pin it down.

"Ah…" Albus nodded sagely. "So tell me, how are young Harry's studies going?"

"It has only been slightly over a week. I am still trying to assess his knowledge and skills."

"And what have you come up with so far?" Albus poked at the goop with the tip of his wand, watching in grotesque fascination as it shivered in a very jelly-like fashion.

"He seems knowledgeable enough." Severus handed him the sample of the potion Harry had brewed the day before. "He concocted this yesterday. It is an antiseptic potion used on wounds. Except for a slight color variation, it seems to be done well enough."

"High praise indeed coming from you." Albus smirked at the man, twinkling. "I will have to tell him that the next time I see him." He continued to prod at the mixture, fascinated by the noxious stuff.

Suddenly the lightning struck in Severus' head. "Did you say you haven't seen Harry in the past few days?"

Albus nodded, then turned to look at the younger man. "Why do you ask?"

Severus frowned. "He said yesterday afternoon that he was going to have dinner with you last night."

Albus shook his head slightly. "No, we didn't."

Severus looked at Albus, then closed his eyes and sighed. "Shit." He muttered, rubbing his temples.

"Something wrong, Severus?"

"That is all based on your definition of ‘wrong'. I think I know where Harry is."

"Really?"

Severus nodded. "Try his rooms."

Albus shook his head. "He's not there. I tried already. He didn't answer his door."

Severus growled internally; the man could be as thick as a troll sometimes! "Actually, I believe that he is there. That mess," Severus gestured to the black goop, "is what is left of Harry's gloves, as well as mine." Albus gave a surprised little noise, but stayed silent otherwise. "He was assisting me with a potion that had a violent reaction. The foam got onto his hands and began eating away at his gloves. We managed to get them off of his hands before anything could happen." Albus could see where this was going, but let the man continue, feeling that Severus needed to talk to someone about what he had seen. "I worried that if the potion that could eat away dragon hide had come in contact with his skin, something worse would happen, and so ordered him to show me his hands so that I could examine them for any injury." Severus trailed off, rubbing his temples again; the headache was coming back full force.

"And you saw his scars." Albus said softly; Severus nodded slowly in response, then turned to his old friend. "You could have warned me about those."

Albus gave what might have passed for a shrug. "I did not feel that it was necessary. If Harry had wanted you to know about his scars, I thought he would inform you himself." Severus snorted, then turned to gaze at the fire. "He left soon after I had seen his hands, telling me that you had asked him to join you for dinner and that he needed to get ready. That was slightly after 3.30."

Albus nodded sagely, understanding what Severus was getting at. "I will try his rooms again. Thank you for telling me about this. I see now that it was a mistake not informing you. I apologize." Severus nodded, still staring at the flames. "Albus." He said shortly.

"Yes, Severus?" The older man turned from his path to the door.

"The scars on his wrists. Are those what I think they are?" His tone was dead, as if trying to avoid something he knew was coming.

"Yes, Severus, they are."

"How long has he had those?" He said it in the same lifeless tone as the question before.

Albus stared sadly at the younger man's back. "He had them before I got to him." He noticed Severus' hand clench tightly, knuckles showing sharply against his skin and rested his hand on Severus' shoulder for a moment, lending silent support, then left, quietly shutting the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

**THE APPRENTICE**

Harry straightened from where he was leaning over a bubbling cauldron to check his instructions. "After coming to a boil, allow to boil for three minutes, then remove from heat. Allow to cool completely and change color to silvery gray, then add anemone seeds and crushed beetle wings." Harry glanced at his timer, watching the second hand jump along slowly, then continued on with his work.

Severus was working on some complicated potion for Madam Pomfrey, so was not giving him too much attention, which sat strangely with Harry; every time the two looked at each other, Harry could swear he saw pity in those dark eyes, although Harry always looked away quickly. He tugged at the tops of his gloves unconsciously, waiting for the time to pass. It wasn't that the loss of the gloves had been a major problem – it wasn't, Harry had plenty of pairs – it was what Severus had seen. Harry shuddered and glanced back at his timer, turning off the fire; he idly watched his cauldron, reflecting on the weekend that his gloves had been destroyed.

After the accident, Harry had locked himself in his rooms for the rest of the weekend, eating only a little of what Dobby had brought him. Albus had tried to fire call him, but Harry had made sure to stay away from the flames, so as to not be seen. He really hadn't wanted to talk to anyone just then. He had slept on the floor that night, knowing that Albus would be upset about Harry lying to Severus, but it was all he could think of doing! He had had to get away from the other man!

Albus had come by the next day, letting himself in using his Headmaster's password, and tried to comfort Harry, telling him that it was alright, that he would get Harry a new pair of gloves to replace the old ones, that he didn't mind about the lie Harry had told, and that Severus understood about the gloves, but the words hadn't helped. Severus had seen his scars, had probably figured out what they had done to him. He probably wouldn't want anything to do with Harry now that he knew what an unnatural thing he was. What kind of wizard let himself get beaten and scarred by Muggles? A damn pathetic one, that's what kind! Albus had left a little later, saying that Severus really did understand about the scars, and that he had his own, but Harry hadn't really heard him; he doubted that anyone could have scars like his own.

He had spent the rest of the weekend curled up on his bed around a pillow, staring at nothing. Albus stopped by again a few days after Harry had taken up memorizing the wall and told him that Severus was still willing to give him private lessons in potions and although it had taken a bit of effort, Harry had eventually worked up the courage to get in contact with the man, telling him that he would like to take the lessons.

The first lesson had been awkward and disconcerting, but Severus never made any mention about the scars or the potion accident, and Harry was perfectly happy to act as if it had never happened, although he was careful to always stay out of Severus' arm's length.

Harry looked back to his potion, which had finished its color change and added the final ingredients, watching as the potion steamed a little, then settled back down. He ladled out a sample of his work, corked and labeled it, set it in an empty space on his area of the workbench, then proceeded to clean up and put away his things. It had become routine over the past months that if Severus was working on a potion and Harry finished first, then he could leave as soon as he had finished cleaning up his area.

Harry finished his part of the cleaning and donned his invisibility cloak, said goodbye to Severus, who nodded absently to the disembodied voice, and left, shutting the door behind him softly. As he began walking down the hallway out of the Dungeons, Harry heard Draco Malfoy's voice coming in his direction. It appeared that he was holding court again with the other Slytherins, who were discussing what they would be doing for the holidays that were coming up soon. Harry pressed himself against the wall next to a large statue of Salazar Slytherin as the group passed. He had become used to the other students by now, although not enough to warrant him going cloakless around them or for him to be comfortable near large groups of them; he waited patiently as the group passed, then continued on with his journey back to his rooms but when he got to the Main Hall, however, he was stopped by Albus' voice.

"You know, Filius, I think I know just the person that would be willing to apprentice under you, if you really are set on retiring at the end of the year."

"Yes, Albus, I am. I'm an old man and I would like some time to myself before my time is up here."

Harry watched as the figures of Albus Dumbledore and tiny Professor Filius Flitwick came into view from the Grand Staircase and disappeared into the Great Hall. Harry sighed quietly and continued on to his rooms where upon he sat down in his favorite squashy chair and opened a large book on plants, which he began reading, with Quicksilver coming over later in the night to curl up in Harry's lap.

~~

The next morning, Harry was reading the day's issue of 'The Daily Prophet' over a plate of elf-made toast and eggs when a smart rapping on his door snagged his attention. He went to the door and opened it, smiling at Albus, who was standing there with a grin on his face.

"Good morning Albus." Harry stepped aside to let the man in, shutting the door behind him. Albus was the only person Harry would make the first statement to; everyone else still left him feeling edgy enough to warrant silence on his part.

"Good morning my boy!" Albus beamed at him, obviously very pleased with something. "I have wonderful news for you!" The older man sat down, conjuring a tea service for himself since Harry still had his glass of pumpkin juice on the table.

"Really?" Harry asked, sitting down across from the man.

Albus nodded, took a sip of his tea, and smiled again, before setting his cup down. "Do you remember how you were telling me how you like feeling useful around here? How that was your reason for insisting on making breakfast when we shared quarters and helping out where you could?" Harry nodded quickly; it was true, he did like feeling useful, as long as he wasn't punished for not doing something, like the way they had treated him.

"Well, I think I've found you something that will make you feel very useful!" Albus beamed at the teen, then continued. "Professor Flitwick, our current Charms professor, is looking to retire at the end of the year, and he is in need of an apprentice. He would like to meet and spend a little time with the person who will be taking over for him when he resigns from his position." Harry nodded again, not seeing what it had to do with him, but not wanting to be rude to the first person that had treated him as if he were something other than a slave.

"You've always excelled at Charms… I was wondering if you would like to apprentice under him, then take over the Charms professorship next year, if everything works out in a satisfactory manner." Harry nearly choked on his juice at the statement.

"I'm sorry? What?" Albus beamed at him again in that way that made his eyes twinkle like there were fireflies in his head.

"Would you like to try an apprenticeship under Professor Flitwick, then, if you decide you like the position, take the professorship next year?"

"But I… but I…" Harry spluttered. "I can't." He said finally. "I can't."

"My dear boy, why ever not?" Albus looked affronted by the teen's denial.

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Well… You know… The students… People in general…" He waved his hand as if that should have been enough of an explanation, which it was, in its own way.

"But Harry, don't you want to interact with other people other than Severus, Minerva, and myself?"

"Well, yes… A little…" That was also true; Harry had wanted to interact with more people, just not so many at once! He had been thinking more along the lines of one or two other people, not the entire student body at large!

"And you wouldn't have to use your cloak every time you wanted to go somewhere during the day, and you would be able to stay here if you took the job. All the staff is housed here in the castle."

And yet another truth, on all counts. Harry had been wondering what he would do after the end of the year. He didn't really want to leave the safety of the school, but he couldn't just stay around if he wasn't earning his keep; he didn't want to be a burden on Albus' generous nature like that.

"Well…"

"You wouldn't have to use your cloak for your nighttime wanderings, the staff is allowed to walk around at night. You would be able to dine in the Great Hall, if you wished to, at the Staff Table. You would be able to spend a little more time with Severus, Minerva, and myself, other than the time that we spend giving you your lessons, and you must admit, there really isn't much more that we can teach you without actually taking you on as an apprentice." Did the man have to have such valid arguments?!

"I guess I could try…" Harry didn't sound very thrilled, but he had to admit, it did sound interesting. "But what about the students? What will they think of me?"

Albus shrugged. "Nothing, I suppose. You'll be an apprentice, so you won't have to worry about House Points, detentions, and other things of that nature; and if anything should come up, you would just have to report it to their Head of House and it would be taken care of." Albus smiled again at Harry, who shifted nervously again.

"But what if it doesn't work out?"

"Then you could end your apprenticeship and try your hand something else." Albus left it unspoken that Harry really needed to start thinking about his future. He could only do so much before things started getting messy and people started asking questions about why exactly Albus was allowing people without a job who weren't students to live in his school.

Harry shifted again in his seat. "I guess so…"

"Excellent! I'll inform Filius!"

"Wait." Albus stopped himself from beginning to rise. "You promise that if I doesn't work out that I can stop?"

Albus nodded and stood. "My boy, I will draw up an Apprenticeship Contract and we will go through all the formalities of the business!" He beamed again at his charge. Ever since he had begun taking the private lessons from Severus, Harry seemed to be beginning to come out of his shell gradually as more time passed. Perhaps this apprenticeship would be enough for him to begin to feel normal and accepted by the rest of the world.

~~

A week later, on the Saturday after all of the Hogwarts students had left for the three week holiday encompassing Christmas and New Year's, Harry was sitting in Albus Dumbledore's office, wearing his best plain black robes, doing his utmost not to fidget in his seat. He was watching Albus scratch on a long piece of parchment, who, every now and when, would frown, shake his head, scratch out whatever it was he had just written, then continue on. After a few minutes, the older man sat up straight and pushed the scroll towards Harry.

"There we are, my boy. Look this over and tell me what you think." He beamed at the young man sitting across from him. The scroll was his Apprenticeship Contract, outlining all of the duties of an apprentice to a professor, where he would be living, who would be considered his employer, how long the contract would last and other important items. He read the scroll, taking in everything listed, and noted off-handedly that the paper itself had no scratch outs or marks of anything being done wrong in the writing stage.

When he was finished reading the paper, he set it down and looked at Albus, who had a questioning look on his face. "Well, my boy?"

"It all sounds… very reasonable. More than reasonable, actually." Harry smiled slightly at the older man, who smiled back and nodded to Harry.

"Very well then! If you will just print and sign your name right here," Albus pointed to a section at the bottom of the paper, "I will do the same and the contract will go into effect!"

Harry reached out to sign, then stopped and looked at Albus questioningly. "But, sir? Shouldn't Professor Flitwick be here as well?"

Albus shook his head, still grinning brightly. "No, actually. This is a contract between the two of us. Think of it as a job contract, and your job is to work under Filius. Well, that is as close as I can get to explaining it without going into the finer points of Wizarding Law."

Harry nodded slightly, then printed and signed where Albus had indicated; the older man followed suit, signing his name with a flourish. He then rapped the contract crisply with his wand, created an identical copy of the paper, handed the first to Harry, stowed the second in his sleeve, and beamed at the teen.

"Well my boy! Let me be the first to say welcome to the Hogwarts' Staff! I'm sorry to say that the majority of the staff have gone home over the holidays, but am very pleased to be able to tell you that Filius has decided to stay, so you will be able to meet him before the day is out! I'm sure you will find Professor Flitwick to be a fair, reasonable man, and I hope that this pans out into a long spanning venue for the both of us!" Albus extended his hand to Harry in a formal handshake. Harry, smiling shyly at Albus' speech, shook his hand and stood from his seat.

"Er… Uh… Thank you sir." He couldn't think of anything else worth saying, so stayed silent, trying to absorb the fact that less than a day ago, he hadn't had a job, or any idea of what he would be doing with his life and now here he was, an apprentice at the top Wizarding School in England, and one of the best in the world! It was a difficult concept for him, especially since he wasn't used to worrying about anything more than a Potions essay or Transfiguration practices!

"Now, as the first matter of business, how about joining me for lunch?"

Still slightly dazed from the extreme u-turn his life had just made, Harry nodded dumbly. "O-okay." He automatically began towards the kitchen when Albus stopped him with a chuckle. He turned to where the older man was standing by the door.

"Oh no my dear boy! I mean in the Great Hall! You don't have to make it." The older man gestured to the door, but Harry stood stiller than a statue, eyes wide.

"The Great Hall?" He asked quietly, a spike of fear running through him. Albus had said that he would be able to eat in there, but surely he didn't mean now!

"Of course! That is where all of the staff eats! Filius will most likely be down there as well, which will be the perfect opportunity for you to meet him, as well as a few others of the staff that have stayed on during the break." He beamed at his new apprentice, who shuffled his feet, suddenly very interested in his boots.

"Do we have to stay for a long time?" He asked, swallowing down a lump in his throat.

"No, just until you're finished eating. During the holidays and weekends, the elves are more than happy to provide something for anyone who wishes to eat at whatever time that is. Of course, you may have to stop by the kitchens if it's at an odd hour, but considering it's still lunchtime, I'm sure that we won't have to do that. Shall we?" He tilted his head at the teen, who gnawed on his lower lip for a moment before ducking his head in what might have passed for an agreement in dim light; Albus smiled widely at his charge and pulled the door to his office open, watching Harry.

Harry looked up at the older man, and then lifted the corner of his mouth in a quarter-hearted attempt at a grin. He went to the cloak rack and pulled down his invisibility cloak, but the critical glance Albus gave him made him stop before donning it. Harry fisted his hands in the silky material, then, with a shaky sigh, placed it lovingly over the crook of his arm and looked sheepish. "I… Uh… I…" He stammered at his reflexive movement of trying to hide himself.

Albus didn't say anything, but the proud look on his face made Harry's embarrassment worth it. He nodded slightly to Harry, eyes twinkling merrily, and then gestured towards the door. They descended the stairs in silence, but at the landing near the stairs, Harry stopped.

"Is something wrong, my boy?" Albus looked concernedly at Harry, who seemed to be breathing a bit too fast for having only been walking.

"Can I… Can I keep my cloak with me? Please?" He stared at the silvery folds, not daring to chance a look at Albus, for fear that the proud look he had given him wouldn't be there anymore.

"Of course my boy. I wouldn't expect you to be ready to face anything like this without it, but I must say, I am very pleased of the way that you're not wearing it at the moment. Bravery on your part indeed!" He patted Harry's shoulder, and took a step forwards. "Now, as to a small tour of the castle on the way to lunch!" Albus began chattering happily about the wondrous castle, pausing to have conversations with the portraits on the walls, and introducing Harry to them. The paintings that Harry already knew seemed to understand what Albus was up to, so made a very convincing attempt to act as if they had never met the raven-haired teen before. Of course, there were others that Harry had never actually met, and he was sure to be very polite to them. The few ghosts that the pair ran into as well also made an attempt to seem like they had never been introduced to the teen, and Sir Nicholas seemed to be highly impressed that Harry was going to be apprenticing under Flitwick. There were a few ghosts that Harry had never met, as well; A ghost known as The Fat Friar gave an infectious laugh and greeted Harry warmly and a woman that Albus simply introduced as The Gray Lady curtsied prettily and smiled at the pair, but Harry had an odd sense of foreboding when a ghost that was doused in silvery blood simply nodded to them and floated on, after begin introduced as The Bloody Baron.

By the time the introductions were over and the duo had actually made it to the wide doors of the Great Hall, Harry's stomach was complaining every now and then about the lack of anything in it, and he was pretty sure that his mentor's stomach had made a noise in agreement.

"Now my boy, these doors over here are the Staff Doors. They lead to the Staff Table at the front of the hall. The larger doors down at the Main Doors are the student's entrance. You won't have to go through those, since you are technically a staff member now." Albus gave a look that seemed to say "Neat, huh?" then went to the Staff Doors; Harry followed mutely, clenching the cloak on his arm tightly.

Albus had his hand on the door handle when "Fear not, my boy. Everything will be fine." floated into Harry's ears, but before Harry could respond, the Headmaster had pushed the doors open and gone inside, leaving Harry to follow or look like an idiot. The idiot option suddenly seemed very tempting when Harry took in the immense size of the huge room, decked out in Christmas decorations, trees, candles, tinsel, and everything else Christmassy, but Albus had turned to give him a welcoming look, and Harry, not wanting to disappoint the great man, followed timidly; he turned to shut the doors, but was surprised when they shut of their own accord Looking back at Albus, Harry quickly trotted over to him; standing closely behind the older man, his mentor pointed out his chair, then Professor Flitwick's, then Harry's.

"You will sit here, at Flitwick' right side, between him and myself. Ah! And speaking of Professor Flitwick! Filius! I have someone I think you'll want to meet!" Albus beamed as the diminutive man waddled into the room on stubby legs and stopped in front of Harry, looking up at him; the tiny man couldn't have been higher than Harry's waist, and Harry suddenly though of a picture in his Muggle Studies book that displayed squat little statues that Muggles put in their gardens.

"Yes, Albus? And just who is this intelligent looking young man?" Flitwick's piping voice was incredibly chipper, and Harry watched with wide eyes as the tiny man levitated himself onto his chair, which had a higher seat than the others around it, to compensate for the Charms professor's height, or lack thereof, to be more specific.

"This, my good man, is Harry Potter; who has just signed his Apprenticeship Contract!" Albus gestured to the teen and Harry extended his hand to the tiny man, who now seemed to be vibrating with excitement like a very tiny dog.

"Oh, wonderful! So very nice to meet you at last, my lad!" The diminutive professor extended a tiny hand towards Harry, who took it carefully and shook it. "It's nice to meet you as well, Professor Flitwick." Harry smiled at the tiny man and tried not to look nervous.

"So, how did you meet Albus? He's told me about how well you do with Charms." Flitwick settled himself down to his plate and began helping himself to a bowl of tomato soup with crackers.

Harry glanced quickly at the older man, but he was happily slurping away at his own clam chowder. "Er… Well, I've known him for years. He's been like a father to me."

"Ah! Albus is like a father to everyone around here. Have some soup, my lad! We'll get down to Charms later." Harry looked down at his own bowl and was pleased to see it filled with creamy chicken noodle soup with extra noodles; he began eating as well, answering Flitwick's questions as best he could and dodging the rest.

They were in a somewhat light conversation about the portraits around the school when the Staff Door opened again and none other than Professor Snape walked in, robes billowing dramatically. He was nearly to his seat when he noticed Harry and stopped short, shooting a questioning glance at Albus, who merely twinkled at him.

"Ah, Severus!" Professor Flitwick piped up. "Have you met Harry? He's my new apprentice, you know!" Flitwick beamed in a way that he must have learned from Albus, and gestured towards the teen, who was looking at Snape, trying to decide on his best course of action.

Severus acted first. "No, Filius, I did not know you were getting a new apprentice. I suppose this means that the rumor mill has, for once, been accurate in that you are retiring at the end of the year?" He said it in a fashion as if it were a fact, rather than a question.

"Yes, yes. I've decided that I would like to retire and spend some time to myself in my last years. Now, as for introductions. Harry, this is Severus Snape, Potions Master, Potions Professor, and the Head of Slytherin House. Severus, this is Harry Potter, my new apprentice!" Flitwick smiled at the both of them, clearly hoping that the two would get along, or that at least Severus wouldn't slaughter Harry in his usual less than friendly fashion.

Severus blinked once and stared at Harry as if seeing him for the first time. Harry Potter?! The little voice that had been nagging at the back of his head since the first time he had been introduced to Harry finally made sense. No wonder the boy looked so familiar! He glared daggers at Albus, who merely twinkled in a way that made Severus want to lunge for the older man's throat, then moved closer to Harry and extended his hand frostily.

Harry shook his hand, surprised at the amount of venom the man managed to put into what was supposed to be a friendly gesture. "It's uh… Very nice to meet you, Professor Snape."

Snape merely nodded curtly towards the teen and sat down gracefully in his own seat, three seats down from Albus' right, and began spooning his own chicken noodle soup to his mouth with as much dignity as he could muster for having just had the proverbial wool pulled away from him eyes when he hadn't even known it was there in the first place; inside, he seethed and fumed at Albus. Why hadn't the interfering old man told him Harry was a Potter?! Hmph! A Snape tutoring a Potter! It was unheard of! And even worse, he actually liked the boy! While not a perfect brewer, Harry was able to make fairly acceptable potions, and knew the theory of potions better than any other student under Severus' care. Severus snorted to himself at the irony of the world. Of course, it didn't help that the boy was far too pretty for his own good; Severus stepped on his own foot harshly, jarring him mind away from that particular train of thought. He had just thought a Potter was good looking! First a Snape tutoring a Potter, then starting to like him, and now thinking he was good looking! Surely the world was coming to an end and no one had thought to inform Severus.

"So, Harry. I've been here a while. Perhaps I knew your parents. Did they attend Hogwarts as well?" Apparently Filius had not caught on to Harry's – _Potter's_ , Snape reminded himself harshly – last name; Snape scowled fiercely into his soup when the name conjured up some of his more unpleasant childhood memories.

Harry dropped his spoon with a clatter and stared at his bowl, a myriad of emotions flickering over his face; Filius looked up at the boy, Severus mimicking the movement. It was a question that he himself already knew the answer to, but it seemed to cause a problem with the boy; it would be interesting to see just how Harry dealt with the query.

Finally, screwing his eyes up tightly before returning to stare at his soup, Harry answered. "Both of my parents are dead. Voldemort killed them when I was a baby." He whispered brokenly; Albus had told him about his parents' demise when he took Harry into his care, but even though he knew about what had happened, the thought of it still made Harry sick inside. If Voldemort hadn't killed his parents, he wouldn't have had to live with them. He wouldn't have been such an outsider if his parents were still alive. It hurt, knowing that there was a person that did that to other people. Of course, Voldemort was dead now, thanks to Albus, but still, the thought of the evil inflicted by one man made him want to curl up somewhere and sob for a while.

"Oh… My boy, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry if I upset you." Flitwick's voice was very small with embarrassment at his mistake. Severus stared at the boy in shock, then glanced up towards Albus, who seemed to have gone from twinkling old man to serious and grave old man; the Headmaster placed his hand on Harry's shoulder in a comforting fashion.

Flitwick shifted nervously in his seat, fiddling with his spoon, Severus began eating again, not tasting his food, Albus followed suit, keeping a close eye on his charge, and Harry still sat unmoving, biting harshly on his lower lip, one hand clenched tight enough to make his knuckles stand out against his gloves. Severus noted that the boy was trying extremely hard to get a hold of his emotions and get his self-control back in check, which he silently commended, before mentally slapping himself for having anything other than lethal thoughts towards a Potter.

Harry finally released his abused lip and returned to eating, trying to force the food down his throat, grimacing slightly as the soup sat like a quaffle in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't until sticky rolls had appeared on the table in place of the soup that anyone spoke again.

"Harry?" Filius' voice hadn't regained its full chipperness, but he seemed to be making an attempt to get back to his usual self; Harry looked down from where he was carefully dissecting his roll and tried to look like he wasn't trying to keep himself from throwing up. "Sir?"

"Is that an invisibility cloak you have there?" Flitwick gestured to where Harry's cloak was draped across the back of his chair. In his excitement of getting his apprentice, then the situation with Harry's parents, he hadn't noticed it before.

"My cloak? Erm… Yes, it is." He looked at his cloak where it was hanging like silvery water from his seat.

"May I see it?" Flitwick was suddenly looking like his eager self again.

Harry, not wanting to be rude to someone as likable as the tiny man, even if he had accidentally dredged up unpleasant feelings, nodded and handed it to him.

"My! What quality work! This is very nice. Where ever did you find it? Such workmanship!"

"It was my father's. Albus gave it to me on my birthday. He had been holding it for my father to give to me." Harry stated quietly. The topic of the cloak wasn't as painful as the one of how his parents died, but it still wasn't a comfortable one.

"Oh! Even more marvelous! A family heirloom! This must have been made by a very skilled craftsman to last this long! My, my! You will have to bring that to the seventh year's class. We're to be covering invisibility charms such as the one on your cloak and it will be good for them to have such a wonderful example!" Flitwick passed the cloak back to Harry, who placed it in his lap carefully before returning to his roll, slightly more at ease than before.

~~

After the tense lunch, Flitwick stood and levitated himself down from his chair and pushed his chair in. "Well Harry, why don't we go up to the Charms room and we can begin working? I'm quite anxious to see just how good you are. Albus has told me nothing but great stories of you skills." Harry glanced to his mentor, who was sipping his tea and watching the two, then nodded to the tiny man. "Alright… That sounds good."

"Excellent!" Flitwick appeared to have regained his cheery wind after embarrassing himself and was now smiling widely up at Harry, who, despite his still somewhat ill feeling, tried to grin back. Flitwick tottered off and Harry looked back at Albus, who nodded towards Harry, and involved himself in a conversation with Professor McGonagall, who had entered while Flitwick was examining Harry's cloak a second time and nearly dropped dead of shock to see Harry sitting there at the staff table; she had made a graceful recovery of her composure however, and had shaken Harry's hand with a matronly air and smiled benevolently at him before taking her own seat at Albus' right hand.

He looked at the older pair, then left, feeling extremely out of sorts when Severus simply ignored him as he passed while trying to catch up with the surprisingly fast Flitwick. They had just exited the Staff Doors when Flitwick's voice piped up again. "I wouldn't worry too much about Severus. He's not the very social type. Prefers to seclude himself in his dungeons with his potions and try to avoid all contact with the rest of humanity in general." Filius chuckled and led the way to the Charms room.

~~

It wasn't until Harry's stomach grumbled at him again nearly seven hours later that either he or Professor Flitwick noticed that it was getting close to dinnertime. Once they had gotten into the Charms room, which, Harry noted with a barely suppressed giggle, was covered with stacks of books that Flitwick stood on to see everything, Harry had begun performing various charms at Flitwick's direction, proving that he was indeed quite proficient in the subject.

"Marvelous! Simply amazing!" Flitwick beamed at Harry from his stack of books and Harry lowered his wand, silencing the music charm that was currently sending a sweet little melody around the room, the few notes that Harry had made visible, much to Flitwick's delight, vanishing with the music.

"My dear boy, I believe that you will do very well here! You must be one of the most proficient Charms users that I have ever seen! Where did you learn it all?"

"Oh… Well uh… Books, studying, things like that. Albus helped me a lot when he had time." It was the truth and it seemed to pacify Flitwick's never-ending curiosity about his new apprentice. Flitwick nodded and hopped down from one of his towers of literature and tottered over to the Charms door, holding it open for Harry. "Well my boy? Shall we call it a day and go to dinner?"

Harry nodded and gave Filius a half-smile, then exited the room, Flitwick following him, chatting about their schedule for the next few days.

"I was thinking about working out a class schedule tomorrow for when the students return, and perhaps working on a few more charms. And we'll have to remove the trees from the Great Hall before the students return, but that won't be for another few weeks, so nothing important there."

"That sounds very reasonable, Professor Flitwick." Harry was looking from portrait to portrait, watching their occupants going about their business in the way that they didn't at night when Harry usually saw them, and wasn't giving Flitwick his full attention.

"Harry, Harry, Harry." Filius said, shaking his head. "You don't need to call me Professor! Feel free to call me Filius! After all, you're not a student here. Such titles are really only for them." The tiny man smiled up at Harry, and Harry nodded to him, sheepish. "Uhm… Okay. Sorry." They reached the Staff Doors and Harry opened them for Filius, who wandered in and smiled happily at the smell of shepherd's pie as it wafted out to meet them.

Harry followed the pocket-sized professor into the Great Hall and placed himself in the chair Albus had indicated as his, Flitwick once again levitating himself up to his own chair. He had just begun eating when the Staff Door opened again, revealing Snape, who appeared to be in an absolutely foul mood, and Albus, who seemed not to notice the amazingly lethal looks the Potions Master kept sending his way.

Severus was indeed in a bad mood, although calling his mood 'bad' was about as accurate as calling the Apocalypse a 'minor problem in scheduling'. After lunch, he had cornered Albus and tried to force him to give all the information on Harry that the older man had. Why hadn't he been told Harry was a Potter? What was the real reason that he was living in Hogwarts? When was he going to be told that Harry had suddenly decided to take up the position of Charms Apprentice? Was Harry even going to bother continuing his Potions lessons? Much to Snape's disgust, however, Albus had merely answered in his usual 'Everything will reveal itself in time' manner.

"Severus, if I had told you about Harry's parents, would you have agreed to teach him?"

Severus' silence was enough of an answer. It was true; if he had known, his prejudices would have prevented him from taking the boy on at all.

"I thought not, and knowing you, you would have taken out your anger at James on Harry, who is nothing like his father and should not be treated as if he is. The reasons that I gave you when you first met Harry are the truth, but I cannot force you to believe them. As for his apprenticeship, well, you never asked about it, did you?"

Severus glared venomously at Dumbledore; it was a look that would have had any students signing their Last Will and Testaments, but Albus was unfazed.

"As for his lessons, I'm sure Harry will want to keep taking them; he didn't give any indication otherwise, did he?"

Severus continued to glare at the older man. Curse the old codger for having flawless logic! Finally, after pulling his cloak around him and huffing off, Albus had merely followed him to the Great Hall for dinner.

Harry watched the dark haired man as he seethed and fumed, then sat down at his place and began eating, giving no indication that there was anyone else in the room. He ignored Filius' bright "Hello, Severus!" and Minerva's slightly more dignified "Good evening, Severus." Harry, in fear of God and Pissed off Potions Master, stayed silent.

~~

The next day went by in a blur for Harry. He had awoken early, dressed, and was standing outside the Charms Door, watching a portrait show him proper diving technique by leaping gracefully off of a high platform into a crystal clear lake when Flitwick appeared, chipper as ever.

"Good morning Harry! Ready for another charming day?" The tiny man laughed at his joke, and Harry was polite enough to chuckle, then followed the man inside. They set to work clearing a space for the both of them to look over a long scroll and began planning out the course schedule for when the students would return; the two had just gotten the first week for the first years completed when a knock made them both look up from where they were. Filius had managed to perch himself atop a high pile of books and was looking through an odd assortment of objects and was naming a few off to Harry, who was copying them down dutifully next to dates that Filius stated before each item name.

Filius looked down at the floor, then to Harry. "Will you get that please, Harry?" Harry nodded and reached for his wand, then, realizing that he had transfigured his wand into the quill he was using and not wanting to bother with back-to-back transfigurations, casually waved his hand at the door, causing it to swing open. Filius' jaw dropped as Albus wandered into the room, taking in everything that was going on.

"Good morning gentlemen! I just stopped by to see how things were going in here with you two. I trust everything is fine?"

Harry smiled slightly at the older man, then looked up to where Flitwick was still standing, staring at Harry like he had a Hippogryph nibbling on his ear. "Is something wrong, Pro- Filius?" Harry asked nervously; he never did like people staring at him, it made him feel like they could see his scars.

"You… You just… Albus? Did you open the door?" The tiny man looked like he was having a hard time understanding everything that was going on.

"No, I thought you did." He turned an impressed gaze upon Harry. "Or was that your work, my boy?"

Harry looked back and forth between the two men, suddenly feeling like he had done something wrong. "Wasn't I supposed to?" He asked nervously, fidgeting with his wand-quill.

"But you never changed your wand back! That was…" Filius started trembling in excitement again. "You just did wandless magic! Amazing! Why didn't you tell me before that you could do that?! That's wonderful!" Flitwick looked like he was about to tremble himself off of his perch.

"It is?" Harry looked around at Albus confusedly. "I thought it was just magic."

Albus nodded and was about to speak when Flitwick piped up. "But it wasn't 'just magic'! There aren't many wizards that can do wandless magic as casually as you just did! And at such a young age! That's just amazing! Did you teach him that, Albus?"

"Well, in a sense, yes, but it was his own power that led to it. I just showed him the technique." Albus turned a proud smile at Harry, who was still confused. "But… Can't you do that?" Harry asked Flitwick.

Flitwick shook his head in a hard negative. "On no. I'm nowhere near that powerful. I thought Albus was the only wizard here that could do that! Imagine! Two wizards at Hogwarts that can do wandless magic! How fantastic!"

"I was the only wizard that can do that, but when Harry starting showing the power needed to do it, I decided that it would be best if he learned."

Flitwick nodded again, smiling widely. "My own apprentice! Wandless magic! Oh how wonderful! How the students will love you! My, my!" The tiny man continued to smile at Harry like he was a new toy that had been specifically designed for the Charms professor.

Albus took that moment to explain his visitation. "Well, now that we have that all sorted out, why not join me for breakfast? Or are you two gentlemen too busy at the moment?"

Harry looked back up at Filius, who was in the process of levitating himself down from his books. "No, no." He said brightly. "We're at a very nice stopping place at the moment. Are you ready for something to eat, Harry?" Harry nodded and transfigured his quill back into his wand and followed the men to the Great Hall; he noted with a surge of self-pride that every now and then Filius would look up at him, mutter something along the lines of "My, my!" then smile at him widely.

After entering the Great Hall, the trio sat down to eat and began discussing their respective plans for the next term. It wasn't until Minerva entered that Filius switched from his topic of locomotive charms to chirp at her, pride heavily evident in his voice. "Minerva! You will never guess what Harry can do! Wandless magic! Can you believe it? Two wandless wizards at Hogwarts!"

Minerva glanced at Harry, as if appraising him, then looked down at the diminutive professor. "No, Filius, I did not know that. That is a very impressive feat, Mr. Potter. I'm sure it will be quite useful in the classroom." She then sat down and began eating herself; of course, she had known all along, but it was easier to agree with Filius than to try to explain everything.

The scene was repeated when Severus entered the Great Hall as well, but after hearing the proclamation that Filius seemed to be ready to shout from the highest turret in the school, he merely took the toast he was eating and stalked out again. Flitwick didn't seem to think this was anything too unusual on Snape's part and went back to his eggs. Harry, however, felt extremely put out of sorts at the dark glare cast at him, and the fact that he had a Potions lesson that night.

 

**PROBLEMS**

That night, after a long day of planning and sorting in the Charms classroom, Harry set off for the Potions Office; upon his arrival he knocked softy on the door and stepped in, shutting the door quietly behind him at Snape's harsh "Enter!"

"Good evening Professor Snape." Harry said softly shifting from foot to foot. At Albus' insistence, he had left his Invisibility Cloak in his room, so that he could 'get used to walking around the school without it'.

"Mr. Potter." The Potions Master said the name like it was some sickly creature that had just vomited on his best dress robes. "You will find a shipment of flobberworms in the storage room. I want the entire batch chopped, stewed, and stored. Get to it." Snape busied himself with a list of something and Harry went into the storeroom to retrieve the large bucket of the dead worms. He grimaced at the amount of the nasty creatures, but said nothing as he began his task, carefully chopping them to the exact size he knew would please the prickly man, then stewing them in a vast assortment of cauldrons.

Snape watched the boy work, still highly affronted that he had been kept in the dark about his student's lineage. It still pricked and nagged at his pride that he had not made the connection between the teen and one of his childhood tormentors, but even Severus had to admit that the only thing the young man seemed to have gotten from his father was his looks, and even then there was plenty of his mother in him to make those appealing. Severus mentally slapped himself for what seemed to have been the thousandth time that day. The boy was getting to him! Curse Albus for doing that to him! He snarled at Harry's – _Potter's_ , Severus! The boy's name is _Potter_! – back and returned to his task at hand. It was getting to the point that if Harry kept up his lessons, Severus would have to take him as his own apprentice to teach him anything more. Not that it would have been a problem if he did; the boy did seem to want to learn the art of Potions and was pleasant enough to be around. He was quiet, fairly knowledgeable, and hard-working when set to a task, which were all qualities that Severus looked for in his advanced students. He sighed and looked back at his list. It took him a moment to realize that he had just thought that a Potter was pleasant company, and he scowled at Harry's back again in irritation.

A few hours later, Harry straightened from his final batch of stewed flobberworms, capping the last bottle of the disgusting things. He quietly cleaned the cauldrons, sensing that Snape was still in a bad mood for some reason unknown to him, then looked at the man, who was still scratching away at whatever he was looking at; without pausing in his writing, Snape gestured back to the storeroom. "Put the bottles away. I trust that you can read well enough to find where they belong."

Harry nodded and picked up the bottles, heading into the storeroom with his delicate load. He walked along row after row of bottles and jars until he came to a row of signs written in spidery scrawl that said 'Flobberworms, Diced', then Flobberworms, Pickled' and 'Flobberworms, Preserved' and finally found 'Flobberworms, Stewed' next to 'Flobberworms, Whole'. He put the bottles away, grimacing at the other flobberworm states of being, then left the storeroom, glancing at the various shelves. The man had a meticulous way of storing everything and Harry had the vague sensation that if anything were in the wrong place, Snape would have been very displeased. Right before the door to the office, Harry noticed that there was a side hall that he had not noticed before and looked down it. Here there were more ingredients and tools, but everything stored here Harry knew to be very rare and or expensive. There also seemed to be a few spots on the shelves where Snape was out of that particular item, but Harry hurried back to the office, not wanting to make Severus any madder than he already was.

Harry reentered the office, where Snape was still writing on his paper, and looked at the man, trying to figure out if there was anything else for him to do. He had done all the work that he had been told to do, but hadn't actually brewed any potions or had a lesson. Snape looked up from where he was writing to fix him with a cool stare. "What?"

"I uh… I was…"

"Speak up boy," he growled. "I have no time to sit here listening to your idle drivel!"

"Is there anything else you need me to do, sir?" Harry shifted uncomfortable. What had he done wrong? Snape was never actually nice to him, per se, but he had never treated Harry with such a level of open hostility before. Harry couldn't think of anything he had done wrong, but the more he contemplated on the matter, the more he began second-guessing himself. Had he not done his last potion correctly? Had he somehow offended the man? Was he upset that he hadn't been told that Harry was going to begin apprenticing under Flitwick?

"No." Snape stated coldly. "There is nothing more for you here. You may go." With that, Severus went back to his parchment and began studiously ignoring Harry.

Harry left, feeling like shit that he had done something to offend Severus. He was actually beginning to like the man; the more time that he spent with the man, the more he was becoming attracted to him, and now he was upset at Harry and Harry didn't even know why!

Harry returned to his rooms, eating dinner there after telling the ever willing to serve Dobby to tell Albus and Filius that he was tired and wasn't up to sharing dinner with them. After eating, Harry looked at his bed, debating. The day had gone nice enough until he had somehow offended Severus. That hadn't gone well at all. He sighed dolefully, then pulled his pillows off of it and tossed them to the floor at the foot of the bed. He then grabbed a blanket and curled up on them, leaving the rest of his bed untouched.

The day that had started off very nicely ended up very miserably.

~~

The next Saturday, after two more horrible Potions 'lessons' where he learned absolutely nothing except that Snape now hated his very presence, Harry was at the end of his rope. He had spent all of his free time trying to figure out why the man was now out to make his life a wretched existence, but was no closer to solving the problem than he had been at the beginning of the week.

He sighed deeply and returned to flipping through a catalog of stores in Hogsmeade, trying to find something for Christmas for all the Professors. He'd already decided to get a bag of candies for Albus that was spelled to change to whatever type of candy the owner wanted and to never be empty, a lion lapel pin that would prowl around the collar and meow in a comical fashion and a pot of catnip for Minerva, who had a penchant for the odd smelling stuff and whose previous plant had died the week before after 'someone' had nibbled a little too much off of it, a large tome of Renowned Charmers of The Century for Filius, knowing that the man had a good sized chapter on himself, as well as being thick enough to give him a few more inches of height, and a large tome on Muggle medicinal practices that Poppy would find fascinating, but he still hadn't found anything for Severus. He briefly thought about a bag of chocolate cauldrons from Honeydukes, - Cauldron shaped chocolates filled with your choice of crème centers! - but then quickly shot that idea down. Severus didn't seem the type to enjoy chocolates, even if they were in the shape of his favorite subject. He continued to peruse the catalog until he came to the section marked 'Apothecary' and stopped, suddenly thinking of the perfect gift for the man. It was expensive, yes, but it might just be the thing to get Harry back on the man's 'less than bad but not exactly good' side. He smiled to himself and marked the page, then stood and left for the Dungeons. Snape hadn't told him yet that Harry should stop attending his lessons, so he continued to go, no matter how unpleasant the sessions were turning out to be.

Snape had set Harry to pickling a new batch of toad's eyes and was diligently ignoring the teen, preferring to flip through an old and musty book, marking pages and smirking evilly every so often, giving Harry the unpleasant sensation that the students would be squirming in their seats when they returned from the break.

After finishing the final batch of eyes, Harry jarred the slippery little globes and set off for the storeroom. He put the jar in its proper place, above the label 'Toads, Eyes, Pickled' and quickly set off back towards the entrance of the storeroom, then turned down the side hall to the more expensive items area. Sure enough, the spots that were missing things were still empty, and Harry noticed that there were more than just a few things gone as well; there actually appeared to be roughly fifteen or twenty things missing. Harry reached into his robes and pulled out the 'No-Ink-Needed' quill, which would write on its own, and piece of parchment that he had put in his robes before leaving his rooms and began jotting down the labels that had empty spots above them, his quill providing enough ink for the list and no more. He finished quickly and rolled up the parchment, stowing it and the quill back in their inside pocket before turning to leave the storeroom.

Harry retraced his steps quickly, finding where the office door was, and went back in, where Snape was still smirking darkly and marking pages in the book. "You may go now." Snape stated coolly, not wanting to be bothered at the moment; Harry nodded and went to the door, trying to sort out his paradoxical feelings. He had figured out the perfect thing to get for the bristly man, and was very pleased with himself, but still felt bad that the professor was being so mean.

"And do not forget, I will be leaving the castle tomorrow for a week. I have some business to attend to, so do not bother with coming down here again until after Christmas." His tone left no room for questions. Harry sighed softly and set off for the Great Hall for dinner.

~~

After dinner, in which Filius and Albus had had a good natured argument about the uses of height increasing and decreasing charms and Harry had absently picked at his potatoes, Albus stopped Harry from where he was heading up the stairs towards his rooms.

"Is anything wrong Harry? You've been terribly quiet these past few meals. Is there anything that you'd like to talk about?" Albus questioned gently.

Harry looked up at the man and frowned, chewing on his lip. "I think I've offended Professor Snape somehow," he said quietly. Albus blinked a few times, then frowned at the wall and gestured to Harry to follow him; he began walking up the stairs, Harry trailing along.

"What has given you that idea, Harry?"

"Well… It's just that… He's never nice to me anymore. Well, he was never nice, actually, but lately he's been really mean. He never calls me 'Harry' anymore. It's always 'Mr. Potter'. And he's stopped teaching me. He's been having me do things like stew flobberworms and pickle toad eyes and things like that."

Albus sighed, shaking his head disappointedly, then turned to Harry. "I will have a talk with him. You should know that it is nothing you have done. I believe I know what has him out of sorts. Rest assured, it will be corrected." Albus smiled in a fatherly way, but it didn't reach his eyes and then, with a soft swish of robes, the Headmaster set off in the opposite direction, heading towards the Dungeons.

~~

Severus looked up from his large tome when someone knocked at the door. It wasn't Harry, he could tell from the force behind it. Harry was always fairly quiet, but loud enough to get someone's attention; this one was more forceful. "Enter!" He stated loudly. Albus entered the room and shut the door behind him; Severus marked the page he was on with a feathery bookmark and shut the book, looking at the older man. "Albus?"

"Severus, it has come to my attention that there may be something bothering you. Perhaps you would like to talk about it." Albus conjured up a fluffy chair in front of Severus' desk and sat in it, pinning the man in place with an interested stare.

"No, nothing has been bothering me."

Albus rested his elbows on the arm rests, placed his fingers together and looked over the tops of them, but stayed silent, still staring at the younger man. Severus shifted, then took up staring back at Albus, keeping his face the careful mask of unemotional coolness that severed him very well during his Death Eater days.

That sat that way for many minutes, neither of them moving at all except to blink slowly in an unnerving fashion and breathe softly.

Severus finally spoke first, still staring stonily at Albus. "You're not going to leave until I tell you something, are you?"

Albus, still patiently quiet, inclined his head with a 'Maybe, which means yes' look on his face; Severus sneered and resumed glaring at him.

"Does this have something to do with Harry?" Albus asked a minute later, when it became apparent that Severus wasn't going to say anything more.

"What ever gave you that idea, Albus?"

"I spoke with him earlier this evening. He told me that he feels he has done something to offend you. Perhaps you can prove or disprove this notion." Albus continued to stare at him, eyes boring holes into Severus.

Severus continued to stare at Albus, then took a breath. "Mr. Potter has done nothing to offend me. He has been an exceptional student and seems to know his business when set to a task."

"And yet you continue to treat him as if he were James, never mind the fact that it is neither fair to him, nor right on your part." It was stated softly, but Severus' keen ears heard the disappointment in the elder's voice.

"I know you have a strong sense of what is right and wrong, Severus, especially since you have had to make the very difficult decision to make the wrong choice an innumerable amount of times," Albus continued, "but that does not make the choice right. I realize that you have a very deeply ingrained hatred towards the name Potter, and that is not without founding, but Harry has done nothing to incur your wrath, other than look like his father, which he had no hand in. I also know that you have a deep sense of what is fair, and it is very unfair on your part to treat him the way you have been. I had hoped that the time you spent together before you learned his name would have been enough to help you get over your feelings of animosity, but I can see I was wrong." Albus continued to stare at the man, all twinkling gone from his eyes. "If you do not want to tutor Harry any more, you simply need to tell me so."

Severus opened his mouth, but Albus cut off his words. "Of course, I will want a valid reason as to why the most brilliant Potions professor Hogwarts has seen in many years does not wish to give advanced lessons to a student who is willing and able to learn from him, other than the fact that the professor in question does not like the student's deceased father."

Severus shut his mouth quickly, teeth clicking audibly.

Albus watched Severus for a moment and then nodded slightly. "I take it that you can think of no valid reason as to why you should not continue with Harry's lessons any further?"

Severus glared at the man, then shook his head stiffly; he had been looking over Harry's work recently and was fairly sure that there was nothing more that he could teach him without actually taking him on as his own apprentice, but he would have to look into the topic a bit more before making his final decision, so he held his tongue.

Albus smiled at Severus, who arched a glance at the older man, and stood, turning towards the door and banishing his chair in the process. "You are leaving in the morning?"

"Yes. I expect to be back on Wednesday."

"Ah, very well. Have a good break. I will see you then." Albus smiled and left Severus to glare at the door. He had been rather unfair to Harry, but damn it all if the boy didn't get to him in a way that he didn't want to be gotten to!

 

**CHRISTMAS**

Two weeks later, Harry awoke bright and early. Christmas morning at last! He bounded out of bed and wrapped his robe around him, smiling brightly and went into his living area, where he was brilliantly surprised to find five large presents and a smaller sixth under the large tree he had set up. He ran over to them and looked at the labels. Five of them were wrapped in bright holiday spirited paper, but one was simply a large basket with a heavy brocade covering and a label tied to the handle. He shivered in anticipation of the gifts, then his face suddenly dropped. Severus' present hadn't come the week before with the others, so he hadn't been able to wrap it and give it to Dobby to deliver overnight. He was sure that it would be coming that day though, so hoped that Severus wouldn't mind a slightly belated Christmas present. With a quick flick of his wand, Harry set his music charm to cheery Wizard and Muggle style holiday music and turned to his tree when it began rustling.

" _Happy Chrissstmasss, Harry._ " Quicksilver wound her way down the tree trunk where she had perched herself close to the fire to keep warm.

" _Happy Chrissstmasss to you asss well, Quicksssilver. Did you likesss your presssent?_ " Harry had purchased a large quantity of toy mice and released them in their rooms, but not before charming them to be difficult for the snake to find. She couldn't eat them, but he knew she would find hunting them amusing.

" _The micssse are very difficult to findsss. They are very funsss. Thank yousss. And I have sssomething for yousss asss well._ " The snake vanished up the tree, then returned, holding a pair of gloves tightly in her mouth. She dropped them into Harry's outstretched hands.

" _Glovesss! Thank yousss, Quicksssilver._ " Harry smiled at the soft gloves and rubbed them, feeling the material.

" _They are madesss from my old ssscales. They are very ssstrong and durable, and are water resssissstant. Albusss fassshioned them for me._ " The snake gave what Harry had come to recognize as a smile.

" _Ah! I had thought they feltsss familiar! Thank yousss again!_ " Harry knew that it took a long time for the snake to shed enough scales of a high enough quality to make gloves and was duly impressed. " _How did you getsss him to make themsss? He isss not a Parsssletongue._ "

" _Sssalazar transsslated for messs._ " The snake stated, referring to the large portrait of Salazar Slytherin in the Headmaster's office.

Harry beamed widely and rubbed the snake's head, before she perked up at a soft scratching noise. " _Excussse me, Harry. I thinksss I sssmell one of the micssse._ " The snake butted her nose against Harry's in a friendly fashion, then went off to hunt for her toys.

" _Have funsss!_ " Harry set the gloves down on his chair and turned back to the presents. He reached for a lumpy, odd shaped one wrapped in bright red paper with green wands that would emit smoke and spell holiday greetings for the receiver. It had to be from Albus; he was the only person Harry knew who invested in overly cheery wrapping paper. He opened the odd shaped present and was delighted to find bag upon bag of Honeydukes' finest candies, including a bag of Chocolate Cauldrons, a few boxes of Every Flavor Beans, and some Chocolate Frogs, as well as a number of other candies. Harry noticed with a barely suppressed groan of appreciation that the majority of the candies were chocolate or chocolate flavored. He popped open a Chocolate Frog container, deftly grabbed the confection as it made a desperate leap for freedom, nibbled its head off, and looked at the card, pleased to find Godric Gryffindor; he didn't have that card yet, but smiled brightly now that he had all four of the School Founders.

He turned to the next present, wrapped in the green and red plaid paper that Minerva used. In it was a book on Quidditch, which Harry had been wanting for some time. He flipped through the pages, watching the pictures zip and zoom around, then set it on the chair next to the gloves and candies, promising to read it in depth later.

Next came an odd shaped package from Filius, which Harry was delighted to find out was a special quill and ink set that was charmed to change colors depending on Harry's mood while he was writing.

The package from Poppy made him laugh. When Harry had first begun living in Hogwarts, he had a tendency to get into all sorts of trouble that would require a bandage or something. Finally out of patience for having to cast a minor healing charm on every single scratch and bump Harry had brought to her, Poppy had purchased a large roll of bandages and charmed them to wrap around any minor wounds and heal it for him. They weren't too powerful, anything major would have to be healed properly, but they worked fine for all the minor little scrapes young boys often found themselves in. In the package were five long rolls of the bandages and a note in Poppy's meticulous script stating, 'Charms can be a somewhat messy course. I trust these will come in handy while you are teaching. Congratulations on your apprenticeship and try not to get too scraped up when Filius' books fall on you (since I know it will happen at some point or another)! Happy Christmas, Poppy'.

Harry looked at the bandages for a moment, reflecting on the countless number of times he had gone to her with a 'life threatening situation' which was usually resolved in under a minute, then placed the bandages with the other presents and turned back to the tree, reaching for the small present, which turned out to be a hand knit pair of baby blue socks from Dobby. He chuckled at the fuzzy balls at the tops, then smirked when he remembered the elf-sized pair of pants he had left on the table with a note saying, 'For Dobby, one of the best House Elves in Hogwarts! Happy Christmas! From Harry.' The elf may have been a bit overeager to do anything Harry asked, but he had to admit that the elf was fun, and did his work very well.

Harry finally turned back to the tree and reached for the final gift. The basket was very heavy, and clinked slightly when Harry moved it; he recognized the sound as glass and furrowed his eyebrows slightly. There wasn't a label on it except a note, which said 'Harry'. Harry pulled gently at the heavy black brocade covering, then managed to find the lose end and lift it, exposing a second layer of silk with a note placed in the folds. He picked it up and opened it, eyes widening happily as he recognized the spidery writing.

"This is a one month's supply of Eyesight Correcting Potion. Each phial is one dose and each will last approximately 24 hours. It is acceptable to take one dose in the final hours of the previous one for a continued effect. Be sure to remove your glasses before taking the potion, as they will not work properly while it is in effect. The potion must be kept away from the light until it is ready to be taken. Severus." Harry read the note out loud, grinning hugely. Eyesight Potion! He had been trying to figure out how to ask if Severus would teach him how to brew the potion when he had gotten mad at him for some reason, which Harry still didn't know, and he had lost his courage. He grinned even more when he thought of Severus' present, which was hopefully winging its way towards the school at that moment.

While whistling along with 'Greensleeves' and in an unusually good mood, which he decided he was completely allowed to be in, all things considered, Harry went to change, putting on his standard Muggle style clothes, with the exception that the shirt had a bright Christmas tree that had little flickering lights that went on and off at random intervals; he then pulled on his robes and went down to breakfast, still whistling cheerily.

~~

In the Great Hall, amazingly pleased with himself that he'd gotten there on his own with hardly any anxiety, Harry sat down at the Staff Table and began helping himself to the Christmas themed pancakes, which were swimming in drizzles of green apple and red raspberry syrups. He began eating heartily, and was through his second glass of pumpkin juice when Albus and Filius entered, both smiling cheerily.

"Happy Christmas Harry!" came Filius' piping voice; Albus followed quickly with his own 'Happy, happy Christmas my boy!' and both of the men sat down to their own meals. Harry was inordinately pleased to note that Filius was toting around the book Harry had given him and Albus had a familiar looking pouch tied to the sash of his robes. He grinned partly at the two of them and gave them their own 'Happy Christmas' and thanks for the gifts, and was sure to say were very nice and that he loved them, which he did.

"How did you know that this was the book I wanted, Harry?" Filius had the large book resting on the floor next to his chair and Harry shrugged, the spirit of the season still making him grin. "It just seemed like something you would like, that's all. Do you like it?" Filius grinned. "I love it! Thank you my lad!"

"And I must express my thanks for this lovely pouch of candies. It is rather nice to be able to carry them around." Albus smiled at Harry, eyes twinkling, and Harry had the funny feeling that Albus had done the same thing he had and nibbled on the candies before breakfast as well.

Poppy came in soon after, gave and received her thanks and sniffed haughtily when Filius piped up about his injured pride about his books falling on Harry. "Filius," She said with no malevolence in her voice and a smile in her eyes, "I still remember the last time you came into my hospital ward after having those things fall on you." Filius had the good grace to look sheepish before tucking into his pancakes.

Later, while the three of them ate, with Poppy mentioning that it was nice not to have students to watch over for one, even if she did love them terribly, Minerva entered the room, a pleased smile on her face. Harry noticed as she walked by that there was a vague smell of catnip about her person and he giggled. She seemed to be trying very hard not to laugh at something as she sat in her place on Albus' right. Before she began sipping her coffee, she leaned forward and smiled at Harry. "Thank you for the lovely pin Harry. It was very thoughtful, although its 'roar' does seems to be lacking some." At that precise moment, the lion opened its jaws wide in what would have been a terrifying manner had the cat been real, and meowed like a house cat. Everyone at the table laughed at the piece of jewelry and returned to eating, although every now and then Minerva would giggle at something that no one else could see.

At a particularly loud burst of sniggering, Albus looked over at the witch, who seemed to be having a difficult time getting a handle on her case of the giggles. "Are you all right there, Minerva?"

The prim Scottish witch sat up slightly straighter and tried to give off a very matronly air. "I don't know what you're talking about, Albus. Everything is fine." She folded her hands in front of her plate, in the fashion of a small child who was very excited about something, even though it was supposed to be a secret. "Harry got me a new catnip plant for Christmas." She whispered to the Headmaster.

"Ah!" He leaned over to Harry and stage whispered to the young teen. "You really shouldn't have done that, Harry. She's going to be tipsy for the rest of the day." He winked at him, then looked back to where Minerva was saying something.

"Tipsy, Albus? I have no idea what you're talking about. I do not get tipsy."

"Of course not, Minerva. We wouldn't want anyone knowing that you have a penchant for catnip."

"Do be quiet Filius. I have every right to indulge every once in a while. Provided I don't do it in front of the students." She stated as seriously as possible, which wasn't very seriously at all, considering that she was trying to prevent another round of giggles from escaping.

 

**GIVING ANOTHER PRESENT**

It wasn't until after dinner that Harry's present for Severus arrived. When Harry returned to his rooms, he was starting to worry that his gift wouldn't arrive in time to be considered an 'on time Christmas present' and was immensely relieved when he opened the door to his rooms to find Quicksilver sitting in his chair, practically making a puddle of drool on the carpet from the way she was staring at eleven large barn owls perched atop his hearth where she couldn't get to them.

Each of the owls had a medium sized package clamped tightly in its beak and a small pouch fastened to its leg. The eleventh had a box rather than a package, a pouch to match the others, and a note attached to its leg as well. Harry took the scroll while hissing at his pet to leave the owls alone and that, no, she could not eat them; he read the note, placed a galleon in its leg pouch, took the box from the large bird, and spelled it to its proper size. Once that was completed, he took each package from the owl holding it and placed it in the box, making sure to put a galleon in every owl's pouch as a tip for its services before it left. Once all the owls had gone, Harry practically ran for his table in excitement.

He set the large box down with its lid and unwrapped each parcel, setting the contents down on his table where he could see them. Standing in the light of his rooms were ten perfect bottles of the most rare and expensive potions ingredients Hogsmeade had the connections to offer, all of which Severus had not had stock of; the majority of them were actually flown in from Diagon Alley and sent on to Hogwarts via the Hogsmeade apothecary. When he had found out about the veritable fortune that his parents had left him when they had died that had only grown while sitting in Gringotts, Harry hadn't had any idea of what to do with it all and, for the most part, did nothing, unless there was something he wanted to buy for the people that had become his family. He never spent the money on himself; there was nothing he really wanted except for his new family and his home, which he had.

Harry placed a large amount of tissue paper in the box and carefully set each bottle in its nest. A few of the bottles were pitch black and opaque, so it was impossible to decipher what was in it, but every one of those bottles had a small label tied to the neck, revealing its contents. Once pleased with the effect of the tissue and bottles, he placed another layer of the wispy paper on top and paused for a moment, reaching for his mood induced ink and quill from Filius. With his holiday cheer, Harry dipped his quill into the ink and began writing out a small note, delighting in the way the ink changed from green to red and back again in the standard Christmas colors. When he was finished, he put the note in the box on top of the paper and put the lid of the box on as well. With a quick swish, the paper that he had pulled out for this gift, pure black that shimmered emerald green when the light hit if correctly, wrapped and folded itself, sealing seamlessly around the large box; he then wrapped a perfect silver ribbon around it and tied a label on to one of the tassels from the bow. He held the label on the box and quickly wrote, 'For Severus' in his messy scrawl, then sat back and stared at the box for a moment. He just hoped the cold man would like it.

He lifted the box, surprised at how heavy it was now that it had all of its contents in it, and left his room, pulling the door shut behind him, then set off for the Dungeons swiftly, not sure how long he would be able to hold the box carefully without jostling it. He arrived at the Potions Office and shifted the box to his left arm, then knocked.

When Severus' 'Enter!' sounded through the door, Harry stepped inside, and set the box down on the floor, giving his arms a rest. Snape had apparently not noticed the box he had been holding; he was bent over a large cauldron that smelled faintly of smoke and fallen leaves. Harry rubbed at his eyes as the steam got into them, surprised to find that his glasses were not on his face. Of course, the potion! He'd forgotten that he had used a vial of the mixture already. He smiled at the dark haired man's back, then cleared his throat and hoped that the man wasn't in a delicate stage of the mixture.

"Yes, Mr. Potter? What is it?" Snape hadn't moved from his cauldron and was now adding some gillyweed to it. How had he known it was Harry? He didn't have time to ponder on the matter though, as he was sure that the man didn't really have time to be bothered too much.

"Er… Uh… I have something for you, sir. It didn't arrive until just now, or else I would have brought it by earlier." He shifted from foot to foot nervously. He was starting to doubt that it was a good idea to deliver it in person; perhaps he would have been better off having Dobby deliver it for him.

"Set it on my desk." Snape's voice sounded cold; he was still mad at Harry, apparently.

Harry gnawed on his lip and picked up the box, trying not to shake the package too much. He set it on the desk carefully, making sure that there was nothing already there that he would be crushing, but Snape's desk was perfectly clear. He looked back to Snape's back, then began to return to the door.

"Mr. Potter." Snape's voice floated over to Harry, who turned halfway from the door. "Sir?"

"I have decided that there is no further reason for me to tutor you anymore. You do not need to return here again." Snape never looked up from where he was now adding shrew tails, stirring the brew constantly while working.

Harry felt his heart slam to his feet and dribble out his toes, puncturing every single organ in the process. Severus didn't want to tutor him anymore? Harry instantly began beating himself up. Whatever he did to upset the man must have been exceptionally horrible if he didn't want to teach him anymore. He suddenly thought of what Albus had said. It must have been something Harry had done! Albus didn't correct the problem! Harry turned quickly to the door and opened it. Only by biting his lip hard enough to taste blood did Harry manage to find his voice. "Okay, I won't." He opened the door and stepped outside.

Severus nearly dropped his ladle into the boiling mixture when he heard Harry's voice whisper 'Happy Christmas Professor Snape' right before the door was shut. Severus quickly finished what he was currently doing, covered the cauldron so it could boil for two hours and then turned to his desk. There, sitting like it had always been there, was the present from Harry; he swallowed thickly and seated himself carefully behind his desk before pulling the black-green box to him. He stared at the label that was sitting primly on the bow, stating for the world who its designated recipient was. He read it once, then again as the message and its implications sank in. Harry had gotten him a present. For Christmas. Willingly. He stared at the bow again, cursing himself for the way he had spoken to the boy while he had been there. Severus had woken that morning to a few presents, mostly out of common courtesy from the rest of the Staff; he knew there was no real meaning behind the gestures, although the Chocolate Cauldrons from Albus himself had been rather nice. The Headmaster was the only person in the school who knew about Severus' weakness for chocolate.

He carefully waved his wand over the gift and watched as the bow and paper peeled back and revealed the large box; he opened the lid carefully and saw the note, which he picked up and unfolded, smirking at Harry's untidy scribble. 'Professor Snape, I saw these and thought you would like them. Happy Christmas! Harry.' Next to the boy's name was a tacky little doodle of a cauldron, which was bubbling pale green and steaming pink. Severus arched an eyebrow at the drawing and the tawdry color choice, but had to admit that it was cute, in its own way. Ye gods, had he just thought of something as cute? Shit, the boy and Albus were both getting to him!

With a sigh at his mental slide into what some might call being pleasant, he pulled the paper back and revealed the bottles. He stared at the bottles for a moment and then gaped openly when the contents he could see registered. He pulled the first bottle out and read the label. Unicorn Blood. The second was discovered to be Dragon's Ash - the ash left over when dragon's fire burned itself out but did not burn anything in the process. How had he gotten these? He continued to pull the bottles out, examining the contents carefully. A few of the bottles were midnight black and Severus could not discern the contents. He read the labels on those as well, nodding slightly when he found that all of the items in those bottles were all highly photosensitive.

He stared at the ten bottles once they were all aligned on his desk. Ten of the most difficult to find and expensive potions ingredients were sitting there, on his desk, a gift from a student that he had just treated like shit. He ran his fingers over the bottles carefully, almost not believing what he was seeing. Not only had Harry gotten him a Christmas gift, out of his own desire to do so, he had gotten him something rare and expensive. He stared a while more, then his mind came to the only logical conclusion for the situation. Albus must have bought them and told Harry to give them to him. It was as simple as that. There was no way that a boy like Harry would have spent so much money on a nasty, horrible Potions Master. He got up from where he was sitting, grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder, and tossed it into the flames. "Albus," he asked, "Do you have a moment?"

Dumbledore's head appeared in the flames a few seconds later. "Yes Severus?"

"Harry was just by here. He brought me a 'Christmas gift'."

"Well that was nice of him. What is it?"

"Potions ingredients."

"How thoughtful of him." Albus smiled up at Severus, who frowned back. "Is there something wrong?"

"Yes. How much did you have to do with this?"

Albus looked mildly surprised at the question. "Nothing. Why?"

"Because he bought me some of the most expensive ingredients in this area. Ten bottles of various things, in fact. Surely you had something to do with that."

"No, I didn't. Harry always uses his own money whenever he buys anything for anyone."

"There is no way that a boy his age could have had the money required for that purchase."

Albus shrugged offhandedly. "Well, he does in fact have the money and I had nothing to do with it. I'll swear that under Veritaserum, if you don't believe me." He smiled up at Severus, who was impressed by the statement. If Albus said that, then it must have been true. That didn't mean that Severus had to accept the gift though. He nodded to the Headmaster, then stared at the bottles for a moment.

"Surely you told him what to get though."

"Again, no. Anything he buys for anyone he does on his own because he wants to. He is thoughtful like that. He got me a bag filled with candy charmed to never run out, and Filius a new book on Charms. Harry has never been the sort to spend lightly, but for something like Christmas or birthdays, he will spend on everyone he likes."

"So he got something for all of the Staff?"

"Those that he knows, yes. But everything was custom selected, and I had no hand in any of the process."

"Very well. Thank you Albus." The older man nodded cheerfully to Severus, then disappeared from the flames, leaving Severus to debate his next course of action.


	3. Chapter 3

**SOMETHING NEW**

The next morning, Severus awoke in his rooms, curled up in a warm patch in his bed with the obscenely delicious smells of fresh coffee and bread playing with his nose; he sat up and looked at his clock, yawning widely as the face stated that it was 10.30 in the morning. No wonder he had smelled food, the House Elves must have brought something in earlier. He got up and padded over to where his robe was hanging and donned it, tugging it closed over his silk pajamas. He stretched as he walked, reveling in the feeling of almost all of his joints popping and loosening, and smirked at the pot of coffee sitting next to a plate of fresh biscuits with a bowl of raspberry jam. He helped himself to a biscuit, slathering a good amount of the sinful jam on it, then returned to his office to check on his potion, chewing contentedly on the bread. Sure enough, the brew had cooled and thinned perfectly and was ready for bottling. He yawned at it and took another bite of his breakfast. The potion could sit for a bit longer while he lounged; it was a little known fact that Severus was a bit of a hedonist at heart and took advantage of the few days that he got to sleep in to the fullest. He was about to return to his rooms when a large box snagged his attention; he turned, eyeing it suspiciously.

It took a moment, but Severus eventually remembered what the box was, what was in it, and who had come from. He scowled at it, then snorted and turned his back on it. "I require a House Elf to deliver a message to Harry Potter." He stated to no one in particular. A second later, a young elf appeared in the room, bowing lowly.

"Do you know where Harry Potter is?" Severus asked it, returning to take another biscuit.

"Yes, Master Severus sir, Dobby knows." The elf bowed deeply, not looking at Severus.

"Good. Tell him that I require his presence as soon as possible today. You may go." The elf vanished with a crack and Severus returned to his rooms to dress and bottle the potions for Poppy. So much for lounging around.

~~

Dobby appeared with a crack in Harry's living room where Harry was sitting in his chair, stroking Quicksilver. The snake had gotten used to having the elf popping in and out at random intervals, so was no longer interested in him; Harry, however, who never really saw the elf much, jumped at the sound, then turned, surprised to see him.

"Dobby?"

The elf bowed to Harry. "Dobby has been told to give Master Harry a message."

"A message? From who?"

"Master Severus, sir. Master Severus tells Dobby to tell Master Harry that Master Severus requires Master Harry's presence today. As soon as possible."

Harry blinked at the elf, translating the message from groveling elfin to human, then nodded. "Okay. Thank you Dobby. I will get in touch with him." The elf bowed again, then looked up at Harry, smiling widely, ears twitching. "And Dobby wishes to tell Master Harry that Dobby is most grateful for the clothes." He straightened to display the tan pants, pleased beyond words that he had received a gift from a wizard.

"Oh yes, I was hoping you would! And thank you for the socks." Harry grinned slightly at the elf and hitched up one pajama leg, displaying his blue foot. "They fit perfectly!" Dobby grinned widely at two jobs well done and vanished with another loud crack.

Harry hissed at Quicksilver, telling her to get up, and stood, wandering towards his bedroom. He changed out of his pajamas and into his clothes, then glanced at the clock. 11.00. Well, if Severus had sent the elf, then he must be up and dressed. Of course, it was almost lunch, so the man was probably up anyway. Harry pulled his robes on, headed towards the door, pausing to kneel down and rub Quicksilver in apology for making her get up from his warm lap, and then opened the door. He'd stop by and see what Severus wanted, then head on to lunch before meeting with Filius to begin taking the holiday decorations down.

" _Harry! You forgotsss your potion!_ " Quicksilver slithered up to Harry, who was indeed wearing his glasses. " _You sssaid you wanted to ussse it the nexssst time you went to sssee Ssseveruss._ "

" _Oh… Thanksss Quicksssilver._ " He reached down and rubbed the large snake again, then returned to his kitchen area and took a dose of the potion; his vision swam for a moment, then fell completely out of focus as it took effect. Harry quickly pulled his glasses off, went to his bedroom, and put them next to his bed on his nightstand.

On his way to the Dungeons, Harry had the sudden surge of hope that perhaps Severus had changed his mind about ending his lessons. Maybe whatever he had been upset about was better and now he realized that he had taken his anger out on Harry unjustly; after telling himself that for the duration of his trip, he arrived at the Dungeons in a good, if somewhat apprehensive, mood.

When Harry got to the Potions Office, he knocked on the door and frowned at the usual 'Enter!' from Severus. Well, it seemed like he was still in whatever mood he had been in the past few weeks, but hopefully that didn't mean anything; he entered and shut the door behind him. The Potions Master was standing over the same cauldron he had been using the night before, although today it was giving off honey sweet fumes. Harry watched for a moment while the man worked, capping a final bottle of the sweet smelling potion. It never ceased to amaze Harry how something that smelled one way in one stage of brewing could end up smelling like something else completely at the end.

Harry continued to watch quietly while Severus fire called Poppy, completely ignoring his presence. A moment later, two House Elves appeared and took the basket of potions that Severus indicated to them, telling them to bring the basket back when they were finished and then busied himself with cleaning up his work area. When the elves reappeared a few minutes later, he directed them to where the basket was to be stored then seated himself behind his desk after they vanished again.

Harry finally decided that he would have to say something; if the professor kept up his silence, Harry had the gnawing feeling that he would have been in the office all day, the thought of which was met with mixed feelings. "You wanted to speak with me, Professor?" He shifted from foot to foot nervously. His gift to the man was still on the desk where he had left it, but it was now unwrapped. Severus nodded and pushed the box towards Harry. "You will take this back. I cannot accept it."

If Harry had thought his heart had hit rock bottom last night, he was sadly mistaken. Once again it made a suicide attempt for his feet, this time actually managing to bury itself in the office floor. "You… Can't…?" He whispered softly, hurt beyond belief. Severus didn't like the ingredients?

Severus shook his head. "No. I cannot."

"But… Why not? Don't you like them?" He began chewing on his lip again in the way that Severus knew meant he was nervous or upset about something.

"Whether I like the ingredients or not is not open for discussion." He stared levelly at Harry, who was looking like he would bite his entire lip off.

Harry looked back at the man, deeply saddened. He had thought he had gotten something the older man would like, something Harry knew he didn't have. All he had wanted was to get something the older man would like, not make things worse!

Severus continued to stare levelly at Harry, watching the hurt spread over the younger man's face. Something in his chest gave a lurch, then spread to his stomach, making him feel slightly ill. He thought he vaguely recognized the sensation, but didn't want to spend time to analyze it.

The silence dragged on for an eternal minute, then, finally, something in the teen snapped; he lowered his head, hands in fists in front of him. "I'm sorry." He whimpered softly. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what I did but I'm sorry."

Of everything Severus had been expecting from the meeting, whispered apologies were not on the list. He straightened in his seat and stared at the boy, confused and alarmed, although he did what he could to hide his emotions; it didn't help that the ill feeling he had was now spreading through him, and, as he sat there watching the boy, he realized what the odd emotion was. Something he had refused to allow himself to feel in a very long time. Guilt.

"What are you apologizing for? You did nothing wrong except for give me something that I cannot accept. It is far too expensive for you to spend on me, that is all."

Severus watched as Harry shook his head and ran the back of one of his gloved hands across his eyes. Good gods, had his refusal actually pushed the boy to tears? "It's not that. It's just… It's just…" He trailed off and sniffed, then stepped towards the desk and reached for the box, not looking at the seated man.

"It's just what?" Severus watched as the boy's hands stopped in mid air in front of his desk and begin to shake slightly.

"I made you mad. I don't know how, but I did. I thought everything was going fine. Then you got mad at me. You wouldn't teach me anything. I thought this would make you feel better and you wouldn't be upset with me anymore. Then you told me that you didn't want to give me any more lessons. Now you don't want your gift." The words tumbled out in a rush, broken only by a few hitches in Harry's breath. Severus stood from his seat and rounded his desk; Harry, who still had his head lowered like a beaten House Elf, didn't notice.

"I just wanted to learn things. I didn't mean to make you mad. I thought I was doing good with the lessons."

"Harry."

"I thought you would be happy with the ingredients. They're things that I thought you would like. I just wanted to get you something nice."

"Harry."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He sniffed and rubbed at his eyes again. "I just wanted to make you happy. Nobody ever said anything about getting you anything, and I wanted to. I'm sorry." Harry was trembling now, the force of holding his sobs back making his entire body shake.

Severus put his hands on Harry's shoulders and turned the nearly sobbing teen to face him. "Harry!"

Harry jumped and shrunk down at the raised voice; he was trembling so hard now that Severus was sure the teen wouldn't have been able to stand up straight if Severus hadn't had his hands on his shoulders, steadying him. "You can stop apologizing. I am not mad at you."

Harry didn't move from where he was standing or say anything, but his trembling wasn't getting any harder, which Severus took as a good sign. "I was wrong in the way that I have been treating you these past few weeks." He sighed, then continued, taking the plunge. "I was…upset at certain things and I foolishly took my anger out on you. It is not your fault and I was wrong. I apologize for that. As for your present, I didn't dislike it, I simply cannot accept it because it would not be proper for a teacher to accept such an expensive gift from a student."

Harry paused, taking in the words. "So you liked it?" His whisper was still soft, but there seemed to be a little note of hope in it.

"Yes. I liked it very much."

"And you're not mad at me any more?"

"No, you yourself have done nothing wrong."

The sudden wave of relief that washed over Harry left his knees feeling like overcooked noodles. He suddenly leaned forward and hugged Severus tightly, burying his face into the warm wool of the older man's robes; Severus tensed slightly then awkwardly wrapped his arms around Harry, hugging him back.

They stayed like that for a moment, Harry calming down some and Severus trying to adjust to the new feelings running through him. There was something new running its course through him, giving him a strange, giddy feeling, although it wasn't enough to quash the guilt that was still sitting heavily between his stomach and lungs.

Harry inhaled deeply from where he was standing, memorizing the way Severus smelled; something about the older man called out to him, made him want to spend as much time as possible with him. He didn't know if he would every get another chance like this one and he wanted to make the most of it. The older man smelled like mint, lemon rinds, and sandalwood, and something else that was distinctly Severus Snape. He grinned slightly and took another deep breath, deciding that he had a new favorite scent combination.

Although Harry didn't know it, Severus was doing the same thing to him. He wasn't sure if Harry actually liked him enough to warrant hugging him again, or if this was a one time thing that was caused out of a need for comfort, but he was going to take the chance and run with it. He buried his nose in Harry's hair and inhaled deeply, absorbing the smells and filing them away in his meticulous mind. Newly cut grass, chocolate, and cinnamon, plus something else that Severus couldn't quite place.

"I thought you didn't like me." Severus' robes muffled Harry's voice, but Harry made no attempt at pulling back so his voice could be heard clearly. Severus had to strain to hear the soft whisper; he lowered his ear closer to Harry in an attempt to hear him better, a part of him screaming that he should not be standing in the middle of his office where anyone could fire call while hugging Harry like both of their lives depended on it. A second little voice screamed back at the first that there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, that Harry was an adult, and if he wanted to hug Severus, well then who the hell was he to argue? The later voice won out, stomping on and silencing the first.

"No," He said, "I have never disliked you. You are a very good potions student, and a very good person." He spoke quietly in what he hoped was a soothing tone, doing his best to comfort the young man.

"Then why don't you want to teach me potions any more?!" Harry had pulled back and stared up at the man, looking like he was on the verge of tears again.

Severus closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them, staring directly into Harry's. "I do not wish to teach you any further because there is nothing left for me to teach you. Not without me having to take you on as my own apprentice, which I will not do."

"Why not?" Harry seemed extremely offended at the statement and was chewing on his lip again; Severus was sorely tempted to tug the lip out of the abusive teeth.

"Because you are already apprenticed to Filius, and if I took you on myself, you would be negating your contract with Albus. By apprenticing under me, you would also be stating that you are studying to be a Potions Master. If you did that, you would have no reason to live at the school, because you would not be a member of the staff as you are now. I will not be the cause of you losing your home."

"Oh." The reasons seemed to make him feel better and Harry returned to hugging Severus, loving the absolute safety he felt in the other man's arms. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice still muffled slightly, although it sounded a bit stronger as well. "But you'll keep the ingredients, won't you?"

"No. I still cannot accept them."

"But you said I'm not your student anymore!" Harry pulled back for a second time and stared at him. Something about the way the boy was looking at him tugged at his attention, but Severus ignored it. The last time something about Harry nagged at him, it had turned out to be very unpleasant. Severus decided that he would wait until later when Harry was gone to puzzle it out.

"True, you are not my student now, but you were when you gave it to me." Harry frowned at the statement for a moment, then brightened again after a moment's deliberation. "Okay then, I take them back." Severus nodded but didn't step away; Harry hadn't let go and the older man really didn't want to remove himself from the warm body. Harry grinned childishly up at Severus before pressing his face into the scratchy wool again. "And now I'm giving them back to you. Happy belated Christmas!"

After a pause, Severus had to admit that he had walked right into that one. He chuckled lightly and Harry smiled to himself; the sound of the quiet laugh seemed to make all his previous sadness evaporate like the mist on the Giant Squid's lake under the morning sun. "Mischievous imp." Holy shit, did he just call the teen by a pet name?! Harry laughed as well, then smiled up at Severus from where he was standing, his arms still wrapped tightly around Severus' waist. Severus looked back down at him, and the tiny little voice that had piped up a moment ago came around again, this time staying until Severus paid attention to it.

"Where are your glasses?" He asked, frowning in confusion.

"I used the potion you gave me." Harry smiled slightly, "I thought you would like to see that I used it. I like it a lot."

He blinked at the teen, whose large green eyes stared up at him, tears still hanging onto his long lashes. Even after the wretched way Severus had treated him, Harry had still used the potion. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, that meant infinitely more to him than the large box Harry had forced into his ownership. He smiled down at Harry, an actual smile, not one of his usual smirks, and rested his cheek on the mop of hair; Harry had returned to where he was pressing his face into the wool, listening to the dull thud of the heart that he had heard many times said by the students to not exist.

"I wanted to ask you to show me how to brew it, before you got mad…" Severus cringed at the statement, still rather cross with himself for the way he had mistreated the boy. "I've wanted to learn how for a long time, since I've never been to Hogsmeade and it can't be sent by owl." Harry's voice was muffled yet again, but louder this time, so Severus could hear it clearly.

"You've never been to Hogsmeade? In the entire time you've been here?" Harry shook his head, but made no move to step back. "No. I can't go."

"Why not? Surely Albus would let you."

Harry was quiet for a moment then answered softly. "I've never been outside the castle since I came here. I'm too scared." Severus felt an extremely odd sense of protection run through him and he tightened his grip on the smaller form almost imperceptibly.

He was about to offer to make the potion for him so that he would never have to go where he didn't want to, but he suddenly had a better idea. He'd have to approve it with Albus, but he was sure the older man would think it was a good idea. "Harry? Would you like to come with me to Hogsmeade to buy the potion for yourself? I've been working on my inventories and I'll need to go to town next month to replenish some of my stores. You're free to come along if you wish."

Harry leaned back and stared up at the taller man. "Really?" His eyes were wide, as if he wasn't sure whether he could believe his ears or not.

Severus nodded, a rarely seen indulgent smile on his face. "I would have to ask Albus if it is acceptable with him, seeing as you are still technically under his care until your Apprentice Contract runs out, but yes, if you wish to come with me, then you may do so."

Harry continued to stare up at him, then lowered his head and stared blankly at Severus' chest, not really seeing him. Severus frowned, suddenly concerned. "What's wrong?"

"I've seen it out there," Harry said quietly. "When I'm in the Astronomy Tower." Severus stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt something that seemed very important. "It's too big out there." Harry shivered in Severus' arms and buried himself in the voluminous robes again. "I'll get lost," he whispered and tightened his grip on the older man. "I don't want to get lost."

Severus swallowed thickly, Harry's fear dredging up unpleasant memories of his own. He knew what it was like to fear the outside world and knew that going out for the first time was an extremely terrifying experience. He rested his cheek against the clean smelling hair, thinking hard. "You will not get lost; I will find a way that you will be able to stay in contact with me if anything should happen."

Harry didn't respond, but Severus felt him nod against him and smiled again. Merlin, after spending the majority of his life frowning and glaring, one person had made him smile three times in under a half an hour. What got to him the most was that he didn't even mind as much as he thought he should have.

After a few more minutes of the silent embrace, Harry finally pulled away reluctantly from the warm arms enfolding him. His eyes were no longer red rimmed and he seemed to have returned to his usual self, quiet, shy, and slightly nervous about anything new or different.

Severus looked down at him, already missing the lithe body, although he wouldn't admit it except under a combination of Veritaserum and torture. "Do you feel better now?" Harry nodded, then smiled slightly at the older man.

"How did you know that I was out of those ten particular items, Harry?"

Harry grinned slightly and pointed towards the storeroom. "When I was putting away those stewed flobberworms for you, I found a hallway in your storeroom." Severus nodded, listening. "I made a list of the things you didn't have when I came in here again with the toad eyes. Then I used a catalog that Albus got for me and ordered them."

"Ah, a very Slytherin thing of you to do."

Harry's grin dropped, replaced by dismay; he was apparently hurt by the comment. "But I thought you wouldn't mind."

Severus stared blankly at Harry, then retraced his words and stopped at his word choice. "No, Harry, I didn't mean it that way. I suppose that this would be a good time to explain that as Head of Slytherin house, I hold my students higher than those of other houses."

Harry's face scrunched up as he thought. "Oh, so when you say something is 'Slytherin' you mean it as a good thing?" He asked slowly, hoping he wasn't very far off.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Oh, okay then." Harry gave Severus a small smile and then looked to where Severus had been brewing something for Poppy when he had entered the room. "Uhm… Severus?" Severus decided right then and there that as long as Harry said his name around him, he wouldn't care if anybody else never spoke to him again.

"Yes?"

"Even though I can't take any more lessons, can I still come down here sometimes?" He suddenly seemed to be very nervous about asking and was chewing on his lip again.

Severus tilted his head to the side and gestured around the room. "I suppose that as a fellow member of the staff, I can't really impose my office hours on you…"

Harry turned to grin at Severus. "Was that a really Slytherin way of saying yes?"

Severus looked at Harry and smirked, this time leaning against his desk. "Yes, I suppose it was, wasn't it?" He raised his eyes to the ceiling, then back down again, taking in Harry's still slightly tense form. "Yes, if you wish to come down here, you may. My door will always be open to you. Of course, you won't be able to come down here as much when the students return, seeing as we will both be busy trying to impart our knowledge on the lot and you will be training to become a teacher yourself, but my offer will still stand."

Harry nibbled on his lip again. "But we can still go to Hogsmeade, right? You'll still come with me, won't you?" The notion of going alone seemed to upset the younger man a great deal; Severus nodded. "Yes. I will speak with Albus about it and see if I can find a way that we will not get separated." Severus already had an idea forming in his head, but he would have to do some research on it before he was sure.

"Okay." Harry looked around the office again, then to the clock. "I guess I should be going now. I'm supposed to help Filius start taking the decorations down."

Severus nodded again. "Then you had best be going." Harry took a step towards the door, then stopped, then started again, obviously vacillating. He finally stopped, set his shoulders and turned back into the office; he quickly returned to Severus and hugged him again tightly before leaving the office quickly. Severus arched an eyebrow at the retreating figure, then waved his wand to shut the door behind the teen, shaking his head at himself. "It is official. You, Severus Snape, are going soft. God forbid that any students should find out." He rubbed his face and returned to his chambers, took a pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it into his fireplace, calling out for Albus.

 

** THE STAFF MEETING **

January eventually came around, bringing a horrible cold front and the rest of the staff, which heralded the return of the students. The Sunday afternoon before classes resumed, Harry was tagging along behind Filius, who was tottering along down a hall near the Headmaster's office to a Staff lounge. "Well, Harry, this is your first Staff meeting! Are you excited?"

Excited wasn't the exact word Harry would have used, but it didn't seem like a good idea to point out that he would have rather been mauled by a manticore instead of going to a meeting where he would be getting introduced to the group of people that Albus seemed to hold in highest regards. What if he did something wrong, or offended someone? He swallowed and nodded. "Oh yes, very excited. What will we be talking about?"

"Oh, nothing very important. The first Staff meeting of the term is usually held about a week from now, but this one is early. Albus wants you to meet the rest of the Staff." Filius smiled brightly to Harry, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Ah! Here we are, right through here. As Staff, you won't have to knock to enter, just walk on in whenever you feel like it." He beamed up at Harry again and entered; Harry followed, trying not to look too nervous.

"And here they are now!" Albus beamed widely as Harry and Filius entered, Filius taking a seat and Harry following suit, sitting in the seat on Filius's right, which he was pleased to note was next to Severus. At least he wasn't sitting next to a complete stranger. He looked around the assembled group who were all staring at him with interest, with the exception of Poppy, Severus, Minerva, and Albus.

"Now that we are all here, let's get down to what we came here to do."

"Which was what, Albus? All you said was that we had a meeting before the students arrived, you didn't tell us what it was about." A tall, athletic woman with spiky gray hair and a whistle around her neck asked. Harry recognized her as the flying instructor and quidditch referee.

"Well, I should have thought that was obvious, all things considered. We have a new addition to our staff." Albus smiled at Harry and extended his hand in a circle, encompassing the entire group assembled. The rest of the staff looked at Harry expectantly; he smiled shyly at the group and bit his lip nervously.

"Well, I suppose I should get everything started. Harry, meet the Staff of Hogwarts!" The Headmaster began naming everyone off, gesturing to each person, who nodded, or smiled, or made some other gesture of friendliness as they were named.

By the time Albus got to the final five professors, Harry's mind was spinning with all of the information that had been thrust on him. "Of course, you've already met Filius, Severus, and Minerva," Harry nodded to the three, grateful that he already knew them. "Which just leaves Rubeus Hagrid, who teaches Care of Magical Creatures."

"Nice ter mecha, 'Arry. Welcome ter Hogwarts!" The large man rumbled amicably. At first, Harry had been very nervous about the large man – he had been forcefully reminded of Uncle Vernon – but when the large man began talking, Harry automatically liked him, despite his intimidating appearance.

"And Remus Lupin, who is in charge of Defense Against the Dark Arts."

The final man, who had a decidedly wolfish appearance about him and had been staring at Harry through the entire introduction process, smiled brightly at him. "Very nice to meet you, Harry."

"Now that he knows everyone, may I please introduce Mr. Harry Potter, the Charms Apprentice." The staff, who had all be waiting for the naming of the young stranger, nodded again at him, apparently used to Albus' odd little meetings. There were only two who were not welcoming. Hagrid and Lupin were staring and blinking at Harry in the same manner Severus had when he had first learned Harry's family name; he fidgeted under the stares.

"I'm sorry," Lupin blinked slowly at Harry, "Potter, was it?" Harry nodded and Hagrid made a sniffing sound. "Blimey." Minerva rolled her eyes at Albus. "Well, you might as well tell them, now that they've got the idea running through their heads."

Albus looked at Minerva, slightly confused. When she nodded towards Harry, who had taken an extreme interest in the tabletop, he nodded, understanding. "Ah yes. Well, since I'm sure some of you have already figured it out, yes Harry is Lily and James Potter's son." The majority of the Staff exchanged significant glances, then favored Harry with pitying ones.

Harry had his teeth clenched, trying not to let the looks bother him. It was hard though, considering that he was surrounded with a group of people who all seemed to have known his parents and only wanted to pity him their death; he felt his hands trembling as he tried not to make a scene, and was sure that he probably would have if Severus hadn't come to his rescue.

"Ah yes," Severus stated coldly, "I thought he held an uncanny resemblance to James. Although, any of us who were fortunate enough to know him had already figured that out, or were close to getting it on their own." Here he gestured blandly to Lupin, but continued to stare frostily at Albus. "Now that that lovely little paper cut has been reopened, perhaps we can conclude this meeting? I for one have things I need to do other than sit here and reminisce on the 'good old days', as I am sure the rest of us have as well." The outright hatred between James and Severus was common knowledge amongst the Staff that had been there for many years, and they all shifted in their seats, sheepish about making one of their most terrifying members peeved. Harry was still biting his lip painfully when he felt Severus' foot shift under the table to rest lightly next to his own, a silent supply of strength for the teen.

Albus nodded, the smiled to the group, although the twinkle in his eye was unusually absent. "Yes, yes, that does sound like a good idea. Well then, carry on with whatever you need to do. We will have another meeting next week after dinner on Sunday. Shall we say, oh, 8.30?" The group nodded their assent and began dispersing.

As Harry stood in the Staff Room while Filius spoke with Albus, he picked at an invisible thread on his sleeve and stared out the window, not wanting to see the pitying looks he could feel the other Staff Members giving him; he was forced to look up, however, when the forms of Hagrid and Lupin approached him, casting shadows on the wall.

"Harry…" Lupin shifted nervously, "Look… I knew your mother and father. I don't know how much you know about them, but…" He trailed off again, giving Harry an odd look. "Well, you know where the DADA Office is if you ever want to talk or anything. I've got some stories about your parents if you're interested." He smiled sadly at Harry, then turned and left.

"Yer mum and dad were a good lot, 'Arry. Never met a finer pair than Lily an' James. Lupin's offer stands fer me as well. If yer ever around the forest, that cabin out there is mine. Just give a knock." He beamed in a friendly fashion, then turned and lumbered off, leaving Harry alone again with his thoughts.

 

** THE WAR AND RUMORS **

By the end of his first day as an apprentice, Harry was an extremely pleased and tired wreck. The day had only consisted of first, second, and third year students, which was easy enough in theory, but horrible in practice. The first ten or fifteen minutes of every class was devoted to Filius introducing Harry as his new apprentice and Harry answering questions from the throng of students as best he could, never mind the fact that he could not pull his cloak around himself and vanish from the room whenever he felt overwhelmed. And overwhelmed he was; how the staff managed to do that every single day was simply incomprehensible to Harry.

Of course, it didn't help that the class seemed to realize that he was as nervous as possible and used it to their advantage. Filius was very understanding about the whole thing, saying during break after the first years that it was only his first day and that he couldn't be expected to do everything right.

It wasn't until the second years came in for the second class of the day that he managed to get both himself and the class under control, and send rumors about him flying through the student body faster than lightning. The class was combined of Slytherins and Gryffindors and there was a huge amount of animosity between them, which Harry should have taken as a warning. Filius had been on top of his books, levitating large teapots out to the pairs of students to shrink to pocket sized, when the ill will got out of hand. Harry had just seated himself in his own desk next to Filius' after introducing himself, and was flipping through a stack of papers from the first years when there was a sudden burst of insults and the hexes began flying between the two groups.

Filius, startled from his work, toppled off his stack and fell with a thump to a smaller pile, and began struggling to get back up and in control of the class. Harry, who, for his own reasons, had deep set feelings about fighting of any kind, jumped up and started trying to get everyone to calm down.

It wasn't until a rather large boy in Gryffindor colors threw an advanced hex at a small Slytherin girl that Harry's temper boiled over. "EVERYONE STOP THAT THIS INSTANT!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, raising his hands out in front of him at shoulder level, one hand facing each of the classes. All movement ceased in that instant as every wand in the class flew towards Harry's outstretched hands and clattered to the floor at his feet, all magic in the air fizzling out with a sad, pithy little noise.

"Every single one of you will sit still and not make one noise while I find out just who started this! If any one of you so much as blinks, I will assign a triple load of homework every night for the rest of the year!" Flitwick's usually chipper little voice was loaded with rage at the minor war that had just destroyed a good deal of his room and many of his books.

Harry, who was still trembling with tensed muscles, slowly lowered his hands to his sides while every student looked at him with a mixture of awe and fear. He finally managed to get his abrupt and unexpected rage under control and was suddenly left feeling very awkward and uncomfortable as the group of about 40 students continued to stare at him. "Stop staring at me," he muttered self-consciously. In that instant, every single student snapped their heads forward and down, staring at the tops of their desks; they didn't move at all after that.

Filius, whose tiny little body was still tight with anger, picked up every wand on the floor with a flick of his own and levitated them to his desk. Harry, not wanting to be useless in the face of all the destruction, took his own wand and began repairing the books as best he could. Flitwick sat at his own desk, writing on two large pieces of parchment. After a moment, he looked up from his notes and eyeballed the wands. "Harry," he said tightly; the teen turned to the man, who seemed to have calmed himself a bit. "Do you know the Priori Incantatem spell?" Harry nodded. "Very good, very good. Please take these," Flitwick waved his wand over the pile and twenty wands lifted out of the heap and over to Harry, who took control over them, "and find out the last spells cast. If any of them were the hexes cast in this room, kindly set them aside. If they are not, please set them in a separate pile." Harry nodded and did as instructed.

Twenty minutes later, Harry and Filius had finished their task and had the wands sorted. Only seven of the 43 wands had not been used in the house battle. Flitwick gestured to the small pile of wands, and the seven flew back to their owners, who stared at them as if they were spitting cobras and refused to touch them.

"Those of you who have your wands are to step out in the hall and wait there. The rest of you will stay here." Flitwick stared at the class from atop of his books as four Gryffindors and three Slytherins scurried out of the room, fear of Charms professor and Apprentice still so fresh in their minds that they didn't even think about insulting each other. The rest of the students sat in their seats, pale and terrified.

Filius looked out over the students assembled, then returned to the two large papers, summoning a third to him, which Harry recognized as the class roster. Filius tapped the paper twice and the majority of the names flared to life, glowing either green or red. He began copying the names down to the lists separately as Harry watched over the tiny man's shoulder, the Slytherin names going to one list and the Gryffindor ones going to the other.

Flitwick finished with his task minutes later in the absolute silence of the room, and turned to Harry, a deceptively cheerful smile on his face. "Would you be so kind as to deliver these to Professors McGonagall and Snape please? I will stay here and take care of the students responsible for this. I don't know if Severus has a class at the moment, but I know Minerva does not, so please drop hers off first." Harry nodded quickly and ducked out of the room.

When he got to the hallway, he noticed the seven students huddling in their respective house groups, shooting nasty glares at each other, but neither daring to risk pulling their wands or even saying anything to each other; they stared at Harry when he approached them, then quickly pressed against the walls of the hall to allow him to pass, all lowering their heads to avoid catching his eye. It was a strange feeling, inspiring such fear in the younger students, and Harry decided that he did not like it.

Harry quickly went to the Staff lounge where Minerva often spent her time and entered, finding the witch sitting in a chair discussing quidditch with one of the resident ghosts. He smiled at the two figures and handed one of the notes to Minerva. She read it, and then, with a lethal look that Severus would have been envious of, she stood and left the room, only giving a noncommittal 'Excuse me,' to the ghost, who floated off after a moment. By the time Harry had exited the room, Minerva was already a good distance ahead of him. Before he broke off to head downstairs, Minerva whirled around, eyes flashing. "How long ago was this little incident?"

Harry glanced at his watch. "About half an hour ago." She glared grimly again and strode off towards the Charms room, leaving Harry standing in the hall. He watched her retreating back, grateful beyond words that he wasn't the target of her anger, and then took off quickly towards the dungeons, arriving only minutes later.

He crept into the Potions Lab quietly after trying the Potions Office and finding it empty. This was apparently the first year's class, which also consisted of Slytherins and Gryffindors, although none of them were even looking at the other house. Harry approached one of the student lab tables where Snape was eyeing the contents of a cauldron while the pair of Gryffindors at that table watched on in trepidation.

"This is one of the worst rust-removal potions it has ever been my displeasure to see brewed in this lab. Can either of you two tell me why you do not add the daffodil flowers until after the potion has completely cooled?" Harry watched for a moment while the two stared at each other and looked in the cauldron himself. It was bad, yes, but not as bad as it could have been. "No? Pity." Snape straightened and surveyed the rest of the class; he still hadn't noticed Harry by the wall. "You will all write for me ten paragraphs about this potion and why the ingredients are added in the order that they are, when they are." He sneered coldly at the class and swept off to his desk, where he began marking papers.

"Professor Snape?" Harry asked quietly, after making his way to the front of the room; Snape looked up from where he was working and blinked slowly at Harry, as if debating how he should react to his presence.

"Mr. Potter?" The cool tones made Harry swallow in trepidation; he held up the scroll from Filius and Snape took it, slitting it open with his wand. He read the note, and when he got to the point that he started reading names of his students, his face contorted into a mask of disgust.; with a sneer that made a few students squeak in fear and concentrate fully on their potions, Snape carefully folded up the note and held it tightly in his hand, then turned to Harry. "Mr. Potter. Would you be so kind as to stay here for a moment while I tend to this business?" Harry nodded to the taller man, who turned to leave. Right at the door to his office, with a whisper that carried across the silent room, he turned back to Harry. "And if any of them act in the absolutely abysmal way any of these," he lifted the letter, then lowered it again, "students did, you have my full permission to do exactly what you did for Filius." Snape let his words hang in the air as he left. None of the students were brave enough to even try to guess what Harry's actions had been if Snape was leaving them as threats.

~~

When Severus returned half an hour later; all of the students in the class jumped and turned as he entered the room with a flourish, obviously in such a foul mood that he did not even notice when one of the student's cauldrons hissed and began to boil over. Harry, who had been standing at the front of the room, assisting a pair of Gryffindors as best as he could, looked up at the towering figure and took a reflexive step back from the dangerous man.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter. You may return to the Charms room now. I trust that there were no mishaps while I was out?" Harry was positive that the man's tone could have cut a person open and flayed them alive.

Harry swallowed and tried not to sound as timid as he had in the first year's class. "No, Severus, they were fine." He tried to give a reassuring smile to the older man, who was still staring icily down at him; Severus nodded curtly to him, then began stalking around the room, sneering venomously down at his students and acting as if he had not left earlier in the period.

Harry left quickly, pitying the class.

~~

Harry returned to the Charms classroom within five minutes and entered, where he found Flitwick teaching the seven students that hadn't been involved in the skirmish. Each had their own teapot and was diligently casting and recasting the spell to get it down to the target size. Filius was walking between them, helping where he could, watching the rest of the time. Upon Harry's entrance, all seven stared wide eyed at him, then quickly returned to their pots, doing their best to make themselves as inconspicuous as possible.

By the end of class, the seven of them had grasped the spell well enough that they could shrink their pots to slightly larger than a galleon, although a few of them were still rather heavy for their size. Flitwick dismissed the class and looked up at Harry, who tried to smile down at him.

"Well, at least none of them died or anything." Harry said hopefully.

"No, no. But I am sure that they will wish they had by the time Severus and Minerva are finished with them." Filius looked around his room, which was now back in order, then back up to the taller teen. "Well, how about lunch?"

Harry nodded and turned to follow Filius as he left. He locked and shut the door behind the short man, and the two fell into a companionable silence, which lasted until they reached the Main Hall, when things started to get a bit strange.

Three Hufflepuff girls stared at Harry as he walked up with Filius, then quickly lowered their gazes and all but ran to the Great Hall; two Ravenclaw boys followed suit, clutching their bags for dear life. Filius watched them with interest. "Well my lad, it appears that you have made a reputation for yourself. I don't think the students have shown that amount of fear for a Staff member since Severus began teaching here."

The two entered the Great Hall, which was bustling with activity and noise as the students ate and chattered amongst themselves; Harry, however, noticed that as he walked past the long student tables, the students closest to him would point and whisper, giving him horrified stares and clutching their silverware tightly. Filius, who did not seem to notice, merely levitated himself up to his chair and began eating; Harry tried to act as if nothing was wrong, but it was one of the most trying things he had ever had to do.

~~

The third year's class went off without a hitch. Upon Harry and Filius' entrance to the room, every single whisper that had been floating around the room immediately ceased and all eyes fell on the lanky teen, who was passing out papers for Filius and getting increasingly more unnerved by the stares coming his way.

After the return to term quiz that had the majority of the students squirming in their seats as they tried to remember everything from the previous term, Filius had introduced Harry to the class as his apprentice, and they had spent the better part of 45 minutes dispelling all the rumors that had been flying around.

Harry didn't think he had ever felt more on display then he had at that moment.

 

** MEMORIES AND A MAP **

Two weeks into the term had Harry settled into the routine fairly well and he was enjoying the feeling of usefulness he now could occupy his time with, even if he was still rather uncomfortable with getting up in front of any of the classes.

It was Friday night when Harry found himself wandering the corridors, bored and listless. Filius was giving a detention in the Charms room, and had told Harry that he was free to go for the night, and Severus was doing the same in the Dungeons. He shivered slightly when he thought of Severus. He had only seen the man a few times outside of meals and the one Staff Meeting that had been at the end of the first week, but there was still something about the forbidding man that made Harry want to spend more time with him. He wasn't sure what it was about the man that made him feel that way, he just knew was that he was more at ease with Severus than he was with anyone else, including Albus; he sighed for the umpteenth time that night and continued walking along, eventually passing through a large door and into the Trophy Room.

As he was browsing through the glittering gold, silver, and bronze plaques and trophies, he stumbled slightly, and in an attempt to catch himself, found himself face to face with a large plaque that he had never noticed before. Harry read the large golden letters, then allowed his eyes to wander over the names. It was a trophy for the largest number of points scored in a Hogwarts game and when his eyes reached the name at the bottom center, he felt his heart give a lurch. There, in shimmering letters, read the words 'James Potter, Seeker.' He stared at the plaque for a few more minutes, then blinked and stared at it some more. His father had his name on an award? His father? For being on the Gryffindor Quidditch team? He continued to stare at it, his mind turning over again and again. His father had played Quidditch, in Harry's favorite position, and had won an award for it! He smiled softly at it, saddened by the memory of the father he never knew, but pleased as well that his father had done something so well that he had an award for it.

A week later, Harry was in the Trophy Room again when he finally decided that it would probably be a good idea to talk to someone about his father. He couldn't just sit in the Trophy Room and imagine him; he got up and wound his way to the DADA Office, where he knocked softly.

"Come in." Harry stuck his head in and found Remus and Hagrid. Hagrid was feeding something that was swimming around in a large tank, and he grinned widely at Harry.

"'Ello 'Arry."

"Hi Hagrid." He smiled at the larger man, then turned to Remus.

"Did you need something Harry?"

"I, uh…" He trailed off, almost losing his nerve. "I just wanted to ask you about my parents."

"Fine people they were. Fine, fine people." Hagrid rumbled. "They were some o' the nicest folk a guy coulda known."

Remus gestured to a seat and Harry sat, looking around the office.

"I would have thought you would have gotten tired of sitting in the Trophy Room after the first hour or three." He smirked at the teen, so much like his father in appearance, and leaned against the back of his seat and gestured to a larger chair for Hagrid, but the large man shook his burly head and made for the door. "No thank Remus. I've gotta be gettin' back to the cabin. I've got some stuff ter be doin'. Nice seein' ya again 'Arry."

"Bye Hagrid." Harry and Remus said as the larger man left. The two left were quiet for a moment until Harry broke the silence.

"What were they like?" He asked quietly.

"Your parents?" Harry nodded slowly.

Remus sighed and rested his arms on his chair. "James was a good person. Always in trouble with Minerva, but a good man at heart."

"He got in a lot of trouble?"

"All the time. Between me, him, Sirius, and Peter, we were responsible for the majority of Minerva's gray hair." Harry looked at him, confused. "Who are Sirius and Peter?"

Remus closed his eyes and sighed softly before opening them again. "Friends. All four of us were in Gryffindor." He trailed off for a moment, then continued, quietly. "I'm the only Marauder left."

"Marauder?"

Remus nodded, then smiled sadly at Harry. "Yes, we four were the Marauders. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs. Peter, Sirius, and James were Animagi, and had their names after their forms. Peter was Wormtail because his for was that of a rat. Sirius was Padfoot, he was an animagus dog, and your father was Prongs. James was a stag in his animagus form." He smiled slightly, lost in his memories.

"And you were Moony because you're a werewolf." Harry said quietly. Remus whipped his head around so fast his neck popped; he winced faintly and stared at Harry. "Who told you that?"

Harry shrugged. "Nobody. I figured it out on my own." At Remus' questioning glance, he continued. "Severus was making a Wolfsbane Potion, and you went and disappeared for a few days, and now you look like you haven't been sleeping right."

Remus stared at Harry, then burst out laughing; Harry jumped and stared back at Remus, startled. "Do you hear your son, Lily?" Remus was asking at the ceiling while laughing. "Said the same damn thing you did!" He continued to laugh, then quieted down and gave Harry an accepting glance. "Smart boy, you are, Harry. You know, your mother said the same thing when he asked me about my lycanthropy. She always was the smart one between your parents."

"Was she in Gryffindor too?"

Remus nodded. "Even though she was sorted to Gryffindor, Lily was a Ravenclaw if there ever was one." He leaned back against the seat and grinned slightly. "Those two were perfect for each other. Lily was a good influence on James. He made an active attempt to stay out of trouble after they got together. It didn't work all the time, but he tried. If your mother was ever alone, it was because James was either in detention for something, or had done something stupid to make her mad. But she always forgave him for whatever it was he did, and then he'd go and get in trouble all over again." Remus chuckled and Harry found it possible to smile slightly, even if talking about his parents hurt; he doubted that the pain would ever fade completely, but it was nice being able to talk to someone about them.

They were silent for a few minutes, then Harry turned to face Remus again. "What were Sirius and Peter like?" The older man closed his eyes, looking like he was in pain.

"Peter was nice. He was pretty good in Astronomy. We would always go to him for help with the stars." Remus stared at the wall, then looked back to Harry. "You would have liked Sirius. James and Lily named him your godfather. He said if anything happened to them, he'd take care of you. Then they were attacked…" Remus blinked furiously and rubbed at his eyes. "They were killed trying to defend you, your parents and your home, Peter and Sirius were. They both went down fighting, saying that they weren't going to let anything happen to you or your parents. You meant just as much to them as you did to Lily and James."

Harry watched the older man for a minute while he recomposed himself as best he could; he doubted that he himself could have been able to talk at that moment, so he said nothing.

"Sirius always said…" Remus suddenly cut off and took a deep breath. "Sirius always said that there was nothing in the world that James ever talked more about than Quidditch, then Lily came along and she was the only thing we ever heard about. Right after they got married, he swore he'd chase his own tail for a month if James ever found anything more important to him than Lily. Then they had you." Remus chuckled sadly. "Sirius was so dizzy he couldn't walk straight in either of his forms!" He looked at Harry again. "You were the world to Lily and James; I wish you could have known them. James used to go on and on about how he was going to teach you how to play Quidditch. He even bought a set of balls for you to play with when you got a bit older. Lily almost murdered him on the spot when she found out that the bludgers were real. She swore that if one of those even came near you, he's have his antlers as a hat rack."

"Was he any good? At quidditch, I mean."

"Good? Harry, your father was phenomenal on a broom. He flew like no one else on the team. Of course, he used to always try to show off for Lily, when she didn't distract him. He broke his leg once in a Quidditch game like that. The snitch was right in front of one of the Ravenclaw stands and he dove for it, except that he noticed Lily standing right there and went all sappy. Caught the snitch, but lost control of his broom as well. He smashed right into the stands but won the game in the process. Lily told us later that he had just looked at her and said, 'Look, two snitches. Right there,' pointed to her eyes, and passed out. That was how we knew he was in deep for your mother."

The two of them sat for a while longer, until Harry spoke again. "Why was my father always in trouble?"

Remus smirked sadly. "Setting off dung bombs in the hall ways, being out after hours with Lily, hexing the Slytherins; the usual things."

"I guess my father and Professor Snape never got along."

Remus shook his head. "Not in the slightest. Even without the standard Gryffindor versus Slytherin rivalry, James and Severus never hit it off. James was a sports player while Severus was always more of the intellectual type. James hated the fact that Severus was so good in Potions and was friendly with Lily. Severus and Lily got along very well. I think James was always a bit jealous of Severus." Remus sighed, then continued. "One of the things I'm not too fond of is how horrible we used to be to him while we were students. If I could, that would be one of the things I'd redo." Remus sighed.

They sat there for another hour, Harry asking questions about his parents, what Hogwarts was like when they were students, and the Marauders, and Remus answering them as best he could. They finally stood and stretched, and began to leave the room when Remus' watch stated that it was almost 11.00 and that they really needed to be getting to bed.

As they were about to leave, Remus stopped Harry. "Hey Harry…" He reached into his desk and pulled out an old piece of paper. "Here."

"What is it?"

"The Marauder's Map." He held it out to Harry. "Watch." He pulled out his wand and tapped the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry watched in amazement as the map revealed itself in all of its mischievous glory. "Wow…" He looked at all the little dots, finding his own and Remus', then Mrs. Norris, who was prowling around with Filch, and the rest of the staff.

"This was how the Marauders used to stay out of trouble… Well… When we could, anyway." Remus tapped the paper again. "Mischief managed." As the map wiped clean, Remus looked at it for a moment, then handed it to Harry and tried his best to smile. "Here. I haven't got a need for it any more, and I think James would have wanted you to have it."

Harry took the map from Remus, and put it in his own cloak, then smiled shyly up at Remus. "Thanks."

"No problem, Harry. It was nice chatting with you. Just remember, if you ever want to talk, you know where you can find me." He smiled at Harry, who smiled partly back, and left the room, an odd combination of sadness and happiness mixing in him.

 

**HOGSMEADE**

January came and went, bringing unusually warm weather and taking the last of Harry's Eyesight Potion. Harry didn't even know that he was almost out of the brew until he reached into the cabinet where he kept it and came back empty handed. Standing on his tiptoes, he looked in the cabinet and, sure enough, there was nothing there. He stared for a moment, unhappy, then sighed and straightened his robes as he lowered himself. He had gotten so used to taking it in the mornings before classes that not taking it before he left made him feel like he was forgetting something. Sighing, and resigning himself to the fact that there was nothing he could do about it until he could go and see Severus about it, he tucked his glasses into one of his sleeve pockets and set off for the Great Hall.

As he walked along the halls, nodding to portraits and students on their way to breakfast, Harry kept fingering the thin frames through the cloth and every now and then rubbing his eyes. He could feel the effects wearing off and knew that soon his vision would swim out of focus and stay there until he could get his glasses on his face; he didn't like the feeling of vulnerability that came with that notion.

He was just stepping off of the Grand Staircase in the Main Hall with the potion completely wore off. His sudden lack of vision startled him badly and he stumbled, missing the last stair completely. Only by grabbing into the banister did he keep himself from falling flat on his face. His semi-recovery didn't help though, as his stumble perfectly coincided with none other than Draco Malfoy's entrance to the Main Hall, followed by his cronies; the timing couldn't have been better if they had planned it.

As soon as Harry's startled yelp escaped his lips, the entire gang of Slytherins burst out laughing at him, Pansy's high pitched shriek of laughter, Crabbe and Goyle's loud guffaws, and Malfoy with his aristocratic little snigger. "Very nice, Mr. Potter! You get an eight for that one!" Harry glared darkly at the fuzzy group, but it only made their laughter worse. "Oh, be nice Drakey!" Came Pansy's simpering little whine. "He deserves at least a nine for that amazingly graceful display!" The group laughed again and set off towards the Great Hall.

He stood there for a moment, trying to regain his composure, when a black blur approached from the direction of the Staff Door and filled his vision; he squinted up at where the blur's face should have been, but he couldn't make out who was staring down at him. "What?" He grumped.

"'What' Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed and dropped his eyes, groping in his sleeves for his glasses. "Sorry, Severus." He finally found them and shoved the small frames in place; the world swam back into proper focus and he looked up into the smirking face of Professor Snape.

"I am going to assume from your sudden lack of balance and the hearty delight of my seventh years that your potion just wore off, am I correct?" Harry nodded, still annoyed at the pleasure the other teens had gotten out of his mishap.

Severus tilted his head to one side, then stepped back as Harry straightened himself, still glaring slightly, embarrassment staining his cheeks a pale red

"I see. You may come by office tomorrow morning after breakfast." He turned and swept off into the Dungeons, robes billowing dramatically.

"But…" Harry said, but Snape hadn't heard him. Hadn't Snape promised that they would go to Hogsmeade when his potion ran out? Of course they couldn't go today, with classes, but tomorrow was free, and it wasn't a Hogsmeade weekend for the students, so they wouldn't have to keep track of any of them; he opened his mouth to call after the taller man, but stopped when three sixth year Gryffindor girls came down the stairs and saw him.

"Morning." He sighed and turned towards the Great Hall.

"Good morning Mr. Potter." One of the girls said, smiling brightly at him. Her friends continued to stare at him for a long moment, then one shook herself out of her reverie. She too smiled wildly at him, and they continued on, heading towards the Great Hall, dragging the third after them; she was still staring at Harry with wide eyes.

"Did you see those glasses?" One of them whispered.

"Aren't they cute?" The second one giggled.

"And I thought he was good looking without them…" The third stated dreamily.

Harry stared after them for a moment, surprised at their whispering; his glasses were many things, but cute? He shook his head and went into the Great Hall himself.

~~

Severus swept along the Dungeon corridors, nodding shortly to the Slytherins he passed, and entered the Potions Lab, causing the torches in the room to flare to life. He seated himself at his large desk and reached for his top drawer, muttering the password before opening. That was a handy little spell. The drawer could be opened at any time, but if the password were not stated before doing so, the drawer would be empty and would record whoever had opened it; it was very handy when students decided to poke their noses in places where they didn't belong.

Reaching his hand in, he pulled out a small black lacquered box and set it on his desk. It gleamed brightly in the flickering light from the flames, and Severus eyed it carefully before opening it. Inside, on a black satin cushion, curled up in a tiny coil, was a pendant of a very lethal looking snake. It was attached to a thin chain of indestructible silver and the effect of the firelight made it look like molten gold. Upon opening, the snake lifted its head and tasted the air, then looked at Severus. The older man shook his head slightly and the snake resumed its sleeping position. He smirked at it, then closed the lid and replaced the box in his drawer, shutting it with the password. He would finish it tonight after dinner. Since he had given his students an easy load of homework the day before, he would only have to spend the minimum amount of time grading.

~~

Harry looked up from his desk next to Filius' when the smaller man entered the room, grinning brightly. "Good morning Harry!"

"Good morning Filius."

"I didn't see you at breakfast. How long have you been in here?"

Harry shifted, then glanced at his watch and frowned slightly. "Erm… About an hour or so… I, uh, wanted to finish these papers." Filius blinked at him, surprised, then nodded, impressed.

"Well thank you very much, my lad! I was going to tackle those while the seventh years were working on an essay for their NEWTs, but I suppose now I can start on my lesson plan for next week; I've been meaning to get to that." With a final mutter of 'Now where did I put that scroll?' Filius sat down at his own desk and began writing on a piece of parchment that was longer than he was tall.

The class entered later, after first period, which was an off hour for Filius and Harry, and as they entered, laughing and chattering amongst themselves, Harry's ears perked up at the mention of Severus. "Can you believe it? Professor Snape gave us the heaviest load of homework all year!" A short Hufflepuff girl was complaining to a Ravenclaw boy that stood almost a full head taller than her.

"He did?"

"Oh Merlin it's horrible! Of course the nasty git had to make up for giving us an easy load the class before."

"Hey, at least you had one night with an easy load. The less homework, the better, I say."

"No way! An easy load always means double work the next time! So now I've got Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy, Arithmancy, Divination, and History of Magic! All to do over the weekend! Oh man… How am I going to find time to sleep?"

"Now, now everyone, let's all settle down and begin class!" Flitwick had stood up in his seat and stepped onto a tall stack of books where he could keep an eye on the mixed class from all four houses; Harry had been immensely relieved when he had found out that there was only one Slytherin in the class, and that it wasn't Draco, Crabbe, or Goyle. While Filius began reviewing their essays and assigning a new topic to write on, Harry adjusted his glasses and continued with his papers, which were essays on when it was acceptable to mix two charms, and when it wasn't, and examples of both. Filius had taken pity on his fifth years and assigned them a light amount of homework, until they got used to the heavy workload again, and Harry had noticed earlier in the year that he was being easier on his seventh years as well, assigning them more classwork than homework, in an attempt to make life a little easier on the stressed students.

At the end of class, Harry was handing out a few sheets of paper for the class, a rough overview of the next chapter so they would be prepared and know what to expect, when a soft giggle caught his attention. He looked up from where he was standing, and had his eyes caught by a rather pretty Hufflepuff girl, who batted her eyelashes a few times and winked at him, then returned to giving half of her attention to Filius, who was now explaining the sheet.

Harry looked back at the girl and then hurriedly finished passing out the papers, avoiding all eye contact with anyone for the rest of the class.

At the end of the lesson, Harry's attention was again piqued, although he tried to ignore it. "Isn't it amazing what a pair of glasses can do to a guy?" He heard one girl saying.

"As if he wasn't good enough looking. He should wear those more often." A second girl said, and a burst of giggles rang through the room until the door could cut it off.

~~

The next morning dawned bright and cold, and Harry awoke slowly, his body preferring the warmth of his bed rather than the need to get up. He sat up in his bed and stretched, dislodging the trailing length of Quicksilver's tail, - wherever it was that her tail even started, Harry had no clue, just a vague idea of 'head', 'middle' and 'end' - who had curled up in the large bed next to him, sucking up the warmth his body gave off. She hissed at him grumpily, muttering about how cold the castle was, and Harry just glared at her, then looked around the fuzzy room and rubbed at his eyes. "Time to take more Eyesight Potion." He mumbled to himself. As soon as he had said it, however, he remembered what Severus had told him the day before; he hadn't seemed to remember that he said he would take Harry to Hogsmeade, and had left before Harry could remind him. The thought depressed Harry, leaving a cold place in his chest.

Harry dressed slowly, not wanting to leave his rooms if Severus wasn't going to keep his word, but eventually dragged himself down to the Great Hall, knowing he would have to leave anyway if he wanted to get his potion from the older man. The Great Hall was empty, for the most part, seeing as it was only 7.30 and the majority of the students were still asleep. Harry ate his breakfast, which consisted of hot cereal and pumpkin juice, then stood and left the Hall, heading towards the Dungeons; he glanced at his watch, saw that it was 8.15, and decided that since Severus had told him to come by after breakfast, he would probably be up with his potion ready.

Severus had actually been up since a little after 6.00, working away diligently at a small bubbling cauldron. He reached over to where he kept his supplies and opened the black box from his desk, pulling out the chain and snake pendant. The snake flicked its tongue at him, then settled down on the table when he removed the chain itself, which he dipped into the potion, coating it thoroughly. He muttered an incantation over it, then watched at the potion glowed a faint blue before begin absorbed by the metal.

He repeated the actions three more times, then put the pendant back on the chain, satisfied with his work. The necklace was a nice piece of work, and the pendant was embedded with magic. He smirked at it, put the adornment back in its place, closed the box, and pocketed it, cleaning everything else up with a swish of his wand and a few well-chosen words. He returned to his desk and flicked through a few papers that were lying there, then picked them all up and pocketed them as well; he had been lower on more of his supplies than he had thought, and this month would be more expensive than usual. Still, it was on the school's money, so Severus didn't really care how much he spent, so long as he could justify it to Albus if he was questioned about it, which he never was, but it was a good idea to be prepared anyway.

Severus glanced up at a soft knock, and instantly knew it was Harry, even before the wards identified him as so; he went to open the door and stepped aside as Harry stood there, looking up at him. "Why aren't you ready?" he asked the teen as he entered; the boy wasn't wearing a traveling cloak and his robes, while heavy enough for the castle, were not strong enough to stand up to the cold wind outside.

Harry turned to look at Snape, confused. "Ready for what?"

"To leave. Surely you haven't forgotten that I said you could come with me when I went to replenish my stocks this month." Harry stared at him blankly.

"But, I thought…" He trailed off. "I thought you were going to make it for me."

Severus looked down at him; he had thought that Harry had wanted to go with him. He had seemed excited enough about it a month ago. But if he didn't now…

"No. I have not made any. I was under the impression that you wished to accompany me to Hogsmeade. You will have to come back tomorrow if you want me to make the potion for you." He said coolly; he began towards his cloak rack and began pulling off the heavy winter cloak he had been wearing.

"No! I just… I'm sorry. I misunderstood you. I do want to go…" Harry gnawed on his lip and looked hopefully at Severus' back. "Please?" He asked quietly.

Severus turned to look at him, cloak in one hand from where he had been about to hang it. "I would think that you would be wearing outer gear if you wanted to join me."

"I can go get it! It'll just take me a minute!" Harry perked up, hope and a bit of worry mixed in his eyes. Severus nodded. "I will wait for you here." Harry nodded and was out of the office in a heartbeat, running towards his rooms.

He returned ten minutes later, decked out in his winter outer wear of a heavy traveling cloak, warm hat pulled down over his ears, and a long, fluffy royal purple scarf that hung down near his knees after being wrapped around his neck. Severus looked him over, then nodded shortly. "Better, but you will need to remove your cloak and scarf for a moment." He reached into his robes and pulled out the pendant box; Harry craned his neck around to see, eyes wide with curiosity.

With a look of puzzlement, Harry began tugging at his scarf and cloak, folding them over the back of Severus' chair. Once he was back to his day wear clothes, he turned to where Severus was running one of his long fingers over something in a small box, muttering under his breath. "Okay." Severus turned at Harry's voice, holding the pendant. He looked over the tall youth for a moment, then took the pendant out of the box and stepped over to where Harry was trying to figure out what he had.

"Here." Severus held his hand out to Harry, who held his hands out; the taller man dropped the necklace into Harry's hands, then pulled out his wand, casting a mirroring charm on a small section of the wall. He looked at the pendant, eyeing it, then looked up at Severus, confusion clearly written on his face. "A necklace?"

Severus nodded. "Yes. It is how we will not become separated." He watched as Harry turned to the mirror and fumbled with the clasp, getting it open. He reached around the back of his neck and tried to redo it, but was having trouble with it due to his hair getting caught; after a few minutes of struggling, Severus finally took pity and took it back. "Hold your hair out of the way."

Harry lifted his hair, revealing the back of the neck of his shirt, and Severus, watching his reflection in the mirror, placed the pendant around the teen's neck, then fastened the clasp securely; Harry watched as well, eyes flicking back and forth from Severus to the pendant and back again.

"How does it work?" Harry asked, once the charm was settled on the top third of his breastbone. He lifted a finger to the charm to touch it and was startled when the snake raised its head to flick its tongue at the digit; he pulled his hand back with surprise.

"Let it taste you so the magic will begin taking effect." Harry looked up at Severus, then extended his finger to it; the snake tested him, then uncoiled and took up an alert 'S' position, looking very dangerous and protective. Harry suddenly felt the necklace give a vague tug in Severus' direction, and even if he hadn't seen Severus behind him, he knew he was there. Severus rested his hands on Harry's shoulders, internally pleased how well the pendant looked around the boy's neck; his own necklace gave a faint tug towards Harry's, trying to return to its mate.

"The charm is part of a set. I have the other. No doubt you just now felt the necklace tug in my direction." Harry nodded quietly. "The charms call to each other if they are separated for too long. They allow one of the wearers to know where the other is at all times. If we should become separated, simply touch the pendant and tell it to find its mate. Then all you will need to do is follow in the direction it leads you. I will automatically know that you are looking for me and will follow my own necklace to you as well." Harry held the snake in his hand between his thumb and first finger, running the pad of his thumb over it once, then tugged at the neck of his shirt and placed it underneath the cloth where it sat warmly against his skin.

Severus retrieved the cloak and scarf, holding them out to the teen, who took them and pulled them on quickly, then smiled shyly up at him. "Can we go now?"

Severus nodded and opened the door, held it open while Harry walked out, then shut it, locking and warding it in the process. They began towards the Main Hall, silent except for their breathing and footsteps. They reached the Main Doors a few minutes later, and Harry stared at them, suddenly scared and nervous. Severus looked down at him, then led the way to the doors, which opened of their own accord. He stood back and watched Harry, who, gnawing on his lip hard enough to bruise, timidly followed, but froze stock still on the steps, suddenly scared out of his mind.

Severus put a hand on Harry's shoulder, then turned to him. "If you do not want to come with me, you do not have to." Harry stared at the grounds, breathing nervously. Severus' words seemed to remind him that he wasn't alone, and he shook his head. "N-no…" He stammered awkwardly. "I want to go… But it's so open… And big…"

Severus, understanding, lowered his hand and gestured to the grounds. "True, but you must remember that you are not alone and if something should happen, you have the charm. Besides, look over there." He pointed in the direction of Hogsmeade, where Harry could just make out the tops of a few buildings. "That is where we are going."

The younger man looked at the buildings and nodded, squaring his shoulders as best he could, even with the tremors of anxiety running through him; he looked up at Severus and nodded slightly. The two set off in the direction of the small town, but by the time they had gotten to the Main Gates, Harry's courage had flown away and he was beginning to tremble in fear again. He had never left the castle, never ventured out onto the grounds, and now he was about to leave the safety they brought. He instinctively reached for Severus' hand and held it tightly and Severus, sensing the almost palpable nerves coming off the boy, allowed the contact; a part of him gave a tiny cheer, but he quickly shut it up, telling it that it was just anxiety that had led to their holding hands, but every now and then it would pipe up and cheer again.

They made it to the town some minutes later, and the two walked along slowly from shop to shop, Harry looking in all the windows and adoring the displays, all the while tugging Severus along, who was trying to be the more dignified of the pair, and doing a fairly decent job of it, even with Harry's infectious attitude about the Wizarding village.

"Oooh, Look! Honeydukes! I've heard the students talk about it! Can we go in? Please?" Harry turned pleading eyes on the taller man, who, knowing full well that his special order of candies was in, nodded, as if bestowing a gift. Harry bustled into the shop, still pulling Severus along, and finally released the other's hand in favor of looking around. While Harry was busy eyeing the Blood Pops and Cockroach Clusters in the 'Special Tastes' section, Severus quickly stepped over the counter and nodded once in greeting to the older man behind the counter, who smiled brightly and pulled a large box of Chocolate Cauldrons and spelled it down to pocket size while Severs placed the required Galleons on the counter as well. He took the box and shoved it in one of his many pockets, then turned back to watch Harry. The entire exchange was done without a word. The shopkeeper knew by now that Severus preferred to keep a low profile for his purchases, even if he bought on a regular basis; the older man had been about to order his next purchase for next month when Harry arrived.

"Okay!" Harry made his way to the counter with a large bag of assorted candies; he placed it on the counter and smiled brightly at the man behind the counter.

"Ahhh… One large bag of mixed candies; let's see here…" the shopkeeper opened the bag and peered inside, muttering. "A few Chocolate Cauldrons… Two, no three Chocolate Frogs… A small bag of Lemon Drops… A box of Every Flavor Beans…" He continued on for a minute longer, running off a long list of candies, then looked up at Harry and smiled. "That'll be ten Galleons please." Harry nodded and rummaged through his pockets, then pulled out the gold coins and handed them to the shopkeeper, who smiled again and handed the bag to Harry. "Thank you very much young sir. And do come back again."

Harry grinned at the older man, then looked at Severus, who gestured to the door; he nodded and went to the door and waited patiently while Severus had a quiet word with the man, who nodded and said a few words back. Their business complete, Severus wound his way to the door as well, and Harry grabbed his hand before they stepped outside again.

The pair continued on through the town, wending their way to the apothecary. Harry seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, although he never got so excited that he let go of Severus' hand. When they reached the apothecary, they went inside again, and Severus removed his hand from Harry's so he could retrieve his lists. He strode up to the counter, where a haggard old witch eyed him. "Well, well. How nice to see you again Severus."

"And you as well, Madam. I trust you have my order?"

"Of course, when have I not? Follow me." She lead the way into the back room, and Severus, on autopilot, did not think to inform Harry, who was staring avidly into a large cauldron bubbling with a purple potion.

Harry glanced up a moment later, and began perusing the shelves absentmindedly, looking for the Eyesight Potion; he eventually found it, high on a shelf just out of his reach. After several attempts to grab a bottle, which included standing on his toes, he gave up and looked back towards the counter where Severus had been; he was startled and worried when the taller man was nowhere to be seen.

A new wave of panic engulfed Harry, and he looked around quickly, hoping that the man had just moved to a different part of the store. When he didn't find him, Harry quickly raised his hand to his chest, clutching at the cloth over the necklace; Severus hadn't said he was leaving, but he was, without a doubt, gone.

Severus looked up suddenly from the large box of potions supplies when a strong wave of panic ran through him, emanating from his own necklace and he felt himself being drawn towards the main room of the shop. He straightened, setting down a bottle of boomslang skin he was holding. "Excuse me, Madam. I need to see if my companion has found what he was looking for." The old witch nodded absentmindedly, calculating the cost of the purchase.

He left the back room, and had just allowed the door to swing shut behind him when he suddenly found himself with an armful of worried teen. "Harry?" Severus automatically wrapped his arms around the shaking teen. "What happened?"

"You left!" Harry accused into Severus' robes, shaking slightly; Severus groaned internally at his mistake. "I thought you had left me here! I turned around and you were gone!" The presence of the warm body was wonderfully reassuring for Harry in his distressed state, and already he could feel his nerves ebbing away, replaced by the comfort he found in the threatening man.

"Harry, I was only in the back room. I just had to examine my purchase before it was sent to the school. You should know I wouldn't leave you here." He spoke softly to the teen, and the soothing tone that he somehow found in his voice seemed to help. With a quick tightening of the hug, Harry released Severus, but swiftly grabbed his hand and did not let go.

"Severus? I trust everything is all right in here?" The shopkeeper had shuffled out of the back room and was now making her way back to the counter. Severus glanced down at Harry, one eyebrow raised in question; Harry looked up at the taller man, then pressed himself closer to Severus and nodded his head in a barely perceptible yes, giving off the air of a pouty child that had been dragged along somewhere with their parents when they didn't want to go but knew they had no say in the matter.

"Yes. My companion was simply startled when I left and did not inform him."

"Hmmm…" The old witch was looking over the long list of items and not giving Harry or Severus any attention. "Well, I've tallied up your costs. I'll just send it up to the school."

"Thank you, Madam." He looked down at Harry. "Are you ready as well?"

Harry shook his head. "I can't reach the potion." He looked up to the top shelf, and Severus followed his gaze, then reached up and plucked the bottle down and handed it to Harry, who took it in his free hand, still holding Severus' hand tightly. "Thank you."

Severus nodded to Harry, then led the way to the counter, where the witch gave Harry an appraising look; her eyes flickered briefly to their joined hands, then up to meet Severus', who gave her a look that dared her to point it out, then to Harry's other hand, where he was holding the bottle. "One bottle of Eyesight Correction Potion. Is that all?"

Harry nodded, set the bottle on the counter, then fished into his robes again and paid the witch, who handed the bottle back after placing it in a bag. "Thank you, Madam." Harry said nicely. The witch nodded, once, then looked up at Severus, who was reading through a list list. "Anything else you need, Severus?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you for your time." He glanced down at Harry, then began towards the door; Harry kept pace with the man's longer strides easily and followed along, still refusing to release Severus' captive hand.

They spent the following hours browsing the village; Harry bought a large bag of snake treats for Quicksilver, and Severus bought a new quill for grading. They stopped in a small restaurant for lunch, and by the time Severus was finished with his one bowl of soup, Harry had plowed through two sandwiches and a tall glass of water; afterwards, they began heading back towards the school.

They had just gotten back onto the grounds when Harry finally broke the comfortable silence that they had found themselves in. "Severus?" Harry's voice was nervous and, without looking, Severus could tell that Harry was biting his lip again. "Yes?"

"What… Erm… What did you think of my parents?" he blurted out. Severus stopped in mid step and had to put his foot down quickly, lest he fall into the snow face first; he stared down at Harry, a mixture of dislike and surprise in his eyes. Harry stared back up at him, eyes wide in question.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well… I uh… I was talking to Remus…" Severus arched an eyebrow, waiting. "He said that… That you and my father never got along very well."

"He was correct. We did not."

"But then he said that you and my mother did." Severus stopped again from where he was about to lift his foot; an image of Lily had flashed in his mind, and he was surprised to feel hurt at her memory. She had been a nice girl, one of the few people that had been nice to Severus while he was a student, even when he was mean to her, and even though nothing had happened between them other than a friendship, he had mourned her death.

"She was a nice girl. We got along… Somewhat." They began walking again and Harry got the impression that the taller man did not want to talk about that particular topic any more.


	4. Chapter 4

**TALKING, KISSING, AND LAYING CLAIMS**

They reached the Dungeons again in silence and made their way to the Potions Office, where Harry was surprised to find a large box of potion supplies sitting in front of the desk; it hadn't been there before. Severus began pulling off his outer gear and hung it up on the cloak hanger, then began sorting through the box. Harry watched him, also pulling his own gear off, and when Severus turned around, he was amazed to see a pendant almost exactly like his own adorning the taller man's chest; he knew of the necklace in theory, but actually seeing it around Severus' neck was another matter. Severus reached up to the pendant and stuffed it into his own robes, then began pulling assorted items out of the box and setting them into to piles.

"Can I help?" Harry asked after he was back down to his regular robes; Severus looked up at him from where he was kneeling next to the box and nodded shortly.

"Those," he gestured to the larger of the two piles, "need to go to the student supply room in the Potions Lab." Harry nodded and began picking up some of the bottles and jars, then straightened up with his load and headed off towards the lab, Severus following with his own items.

They went back and forth from the office to the lab and an hour later found themselves back in the office with nothing left to put away. Harry looked up from where he was playing with his necklace, and glanced up at Severus, who was watching him.

"What was my dad like when you were students?" Harry finally asked, nervous about rebroaching the topic of his parents to Severus. Remus hadn't told him much, but he wanted to know what Severus thought of the man; he wasn't sure why, but Severus' opinion of James counted for a lot in Harry's mind. Severus sat down at his desk and stared over the top of the list that had been in the bottom of the box at Harry.

"Why do you care about what I thought of your father?" Harry shrugged and drifted closer to the chair, resting his hand on the desk.

"I just do, I guess…"

"You know that we never were friends… Are you sure you want my opinion of James?" He knew that what he would say would hurt Harry, and he didn't want to hurt the young man any more than he had already been.

"I only know what Remus said. I want to know." He looked down at Severus' seated figure. "Please?"

Severus had discovered earlier that if Harry asked anything of him with 'please?' tacked on at the end, he would find himself powerless to do otherwise; he shifted in his seat, resigning himself to the fact that Harry would, more than likely, not leave the topic alone until he got an answer. "Your father and I did not get along. He was in Gryffindor, I, Slytherin. I preferred studying; he was more of the sports fanatic. He had everything he wanted, including Lily Evans and a spot on the Quidditch team as Seeker." He trailed off for a moment then continued. "There were many times that your father found amusement in playing one of his little pranks, both on my fellow Sytherins and myself. But suffice it to say that there was a deep-seated grudge on both our parts towards the other. As much as I know you will not like this next part, you father is one of the reasons that I have a severe dislike for any form of bullying, seeing as he was one."

Harry winced, remembering the minor war that had erupted in the Charms classroom. That must have been one of the reasons why the older man had gotten so angry about it; he shifted his hand and took Severus' right, which had released the list of supplies. The older man looked at their joined hands and stared in blank wonder as Harry shifted his to entwine their fingers. "I… Uh…" Severus looked up from their hands to where Harry was looking at the door, staring into space. "I don't know what he did to you… But for whatever it was…" His voice trailed off. "I'm sorry."

Severus swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the large, sticky lump that had suddenly made a home in his throat, and stood, pulling his hand from Harry's; the teen looked up in surprise at the sudden movement and was about to step away when the older man's hands came up to frame his face, holding him in his place. "Harry… You apologize far too much." He stared into Harry's wide eyes, suddenly lost in them. The more the thought about it, the more he realized that the teen was far too pretty for his own good, or Severus'.

"Sorry…" He whispered, then cringed, his eyes closed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to… It just sort of –" He immediately stopped trying to talk as something incredibly soft and warm brushed over his mouth.

Severus jerked back from where he was standing, alarmed by his irrational behavior. Why did he just do that?! What was he thinking, kissing the boy like that?! He just kept apologizing for something that wasn't his fault, and Severus had just acted without thinking; for lack of anything better to do, he had brushed his mouth over the young man's. It's wasn't enough to constitute a real kiss, their mouths had only been in contact for an instant, but the sudden rush of warmth that had seeped into his body was enough for him to realize that it he didn't get a grip on himself, he would end up doing something they would both regret. Besides, he didn't even know what Harry's preferences were! It wasn't right of him to try to take advantage of the boy's innocence like that!

He quickly dropped his hands and stepped back a few paces, putting some distance between them. Harry's eyes had snapped open at the loss of contact and he was now standing there with a 'Muggle in the Killing Curse range' look plastered upon his face.

"I apologize." Severus turned to stare intensely at the bookcase behind him and do everything in his power not to think about how soft the boy's mouth had been, not that he was having much luck with that. "You should go now, Harry."

Harry stared up at him, still wide-eyed and silent; he hadn't bargained on getting that to shut him up. Of course he knew about kissing, but he'd never actually done it before. "But I…" He looked down at his hands, feeling a raging heat run across his cheeks. Severus had kissed him! He shivered pleasantly; his lips were tingling slightly from where they had come in contact with the older man's. He retrieved his cloak and scarf from the chair, checked to make sure that his purchases were still in his pockets, then began towards the office door and pulled it open. Before he put his foot through the doorway though, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at where Severus still had his back to him.

"I really liked it…" Severus looked up from where he was still resolutely studying his books, trying to get his emotions under control. Had he just said…? He turned quickly to where Harry was still standing, his hand on the door. "What?"

Harry shifted and stared at the toes of his boots. "I really liked it." He said quietly, looking up to watch Severus through his bangs.

Severus stared at Harry, gobsmacked, then, with a barely suppressed groan, quickly closed the distance between them, leaned down slightly, and kissed him full on the lips; he pulled back again a second later and stared down at Harry, who was blushing slightly, but also grinning to himself.

"What, imp?" Severus arched an eyebrow at Harry, who grinned even further, both at the pet name and his secret.

"I... just realized something…"

"Oh really?" His tone was, gods help him, teasing.

Harry nodded. "Today was the first time that… That I didn't…" He trailed off, looking for the right words. "It didn't bother me when you touched me…" He chewed on his lip, hoping that he hadn't offended the man; he always liked it whenever they brushed against each other, but he didn't want to give Severus the wrong impression.

Severus tilted his head and looked at Harry, then lifted his hand and gently touched Harry's cheek with one finger and, sure enough, Harry's unconscious flinch that usually came with any physical contact didn't come; he began running his finger slowly over the boy's amazingly soft cheek. Harry glanced out of the corner of his eye at the hand then looked back up at Severus, who had a thoughtful expression on his face.

The soft ringing from a timer broke the moment, and they both looked around to the noise; Harry frowned and Severus growled under his breath. "Forgot about that." He looked down at Harry, who hadn't moved from where he was standing in the open doorway.

"Potion?" Severus nodded and Harry smiled shyly up at him. "I guess I should go then…" Severus nodded again, but made no move to step away. "Is it okay if I come back next week? I only bought a small bottle of the potion, and I still want to learn how to make it."

"Yes. I will be here Thursday night, if you wish to join me then." Harry smiled winningly up at the taller man, and they both were surprised when it was an actual smile, not one of his half grins or smirks. He blinked in surprise and smiled again. Then, before his brain could tell him to do otherwise, he stood up on his toes and pressed a quick, chaste kiss on Severus' lips again before turning to leave. "Bye Severus."

"Goodbye Harry." He watched the younger man leave, then turned back to his office to attend to the brew and smiled to himself; he didn't notice Draco Malfoy's form standing hidden behind a large statue in the hallway, or when the blond glared darkly at Harry's retreating form.

Harry walked down the halls up to the Main Hall, feeling very light on his feet; it wasn't until he was nearly up the stairs leading out of the Dungeons that his mood turned sour.

"Hey, Potter!" He turned at his name and found himself face to face with a very annoyed Draco Malfoy.

"Yes?" He took a step back nervously, his free hand instinctively going to his wand pocket.

"I saw what you did with Snape," he hissed quietly so only they could hear. "You would do well to remember that he is mine and not yours. So back off. Malfoys don't share."

Harry swallowed and took another step back as Draco shot him an icy glare and swept off towards the Great Hall; Harry, suddenly not even the slightest bit in the mood for any form of company, retreated to his rooms.

 

** RESEARCH AND DISCUSSIONS **

Harry returned to his rooms, hung up his cloak and scarf, put away his potion and candies, and collapsed into his chair. He hadn't been there a minute when Quicksilver slithered up into his lap and curled up there, pleased to have a warm lap to leech heat off of; Harry reached down and began rubbing her head idly.

" _Hey Quicksssilver. How are you?_ "

" _I am fine, but you are notsss. What isss wrong, Harry?_ "

" _It'sss nothing._ "

The large snake reared up and butted his cheek softly. " _You are notsss very good at lying._ "

Harry laughed. " _Wasss I that obviousss?_ " The large snake nodded and was about to settle back down when Harry's necklace caught her eye. " _What isss that?_ "

Harry looked down at the necklace and frowned. " _It is Ssseverusss'. I forgot to return it to himsss._ "

" _Why are yousss wearing it if it isss Ssseverusss?_ " She had gotten over calling him 'Nasty Plant Man' when Harry had come back to their rooms smelling like plants from one of his lessons and he explained everything to her.

" _He let me borrowsss it for the day. We went to Hogsssmeade._ "

" _Outssside? But you've never gonesss before!_ " Harry shrugged and grinned a little.

" _He went with me. It wasss fun. I got you sssomething while I wasss there._ "

The snake perked up and looked him over. " _Really? What isss it?_ "

" _It'sss in the bag on the table. Go getsss it._ " The snake hastily unwound herself and zipped over to the table and up to the top; she stuck her head in and began rummaging around.

" _Sssnake treatsss!_ " She exclaimed greedily and pulled them out, the bag clamped tightly in her mouth. She quickly made her way back over to Harry and held the large pouch up to him, giving him an expectant look. He took the bag from her, opened it, and picked one out, then tossed it to his pet. She snapped it out of the air and swallowed it, then hissed pleasantly.

" _Mmmm… Roasssted ratsss. Delicssiousss!_ " Harry laughed and barely managed not to be grossed out at the same time. She butted his cheek again, then paused and flicked her tongue at him. " _You tassste funny. What isss that?_ "

Harry blushed. " _Er… Well… Ssseverusss. He touched me._ "

The snake tasted him again, then nodded her approval. " _Interesssting… Very interesssting._ " She lowered herself down to the ground and went off to do whatever it was snakes do when bored, leaving Harry to turn and watch the fire.

He sat for a long few minutes, thinking, then stood and made his way out of the rooms towards the library. Being kissed by the older man had felt very good, but left him with an odd, tingly, fuzzy feeling in his stomach; it wasn't something he had every felt before, and, although it was a pleasant sensation, he was slightly put off by not knowing what it was.

He made his way up the stairs to the library and entered, nodding a greeting to Madam Pince. He had somehow never managed to meet the nice, if stern, woman in his years at Hogwarts, but considering that he had restricted most of his library activities to the early hours after midnight, it really wasn't that surprising.

"Do you need something, Harry?" She stood up from her seat and smiled at him warmly; Harry was one of her more book respectful patrons and she was always pleased to see him.

"Er… I need help finding a book." He bit his lip nervously.

"Well, you've come to the right person. What do you need?"

He shifted nervously, then looked up at her. "I need a few books on… Uh… Relationships."

Madam Pince nodded knowingly and stepped out of her little Reference Desk area. "Ah, those would be this way." She led the way to a large section on the second floor, and gestured to a large shelf of books. "These have every sort of relationship you can possibly want to look up." She smiled at him again, then turned and meandered off, not giving a backwards glance; Harry was thankful for her discretion.

He browsed the books for almost half an hour before finding a few that looked promising; he pulled them down and flipped through them, then nodded to himself and began making his way back down to the desk on the first floor.

When he got back down there, he was beginning to get a bit nervous about his selections. What if someone saw what he had? What would they think of him? He set them down carefully on Madam Pince's desk and refused to meet her eyes.

The older woman, far beyond the point where any book selection could cause her to even bat an eyelash, began making a note of the books, copying the titles down and the day's date in a large book. "Sign here please, Harry." She pushed the book forward and took the large stack from the desktop. While he signed, she placed all of them in a plain looking bag and set it on the desk.

"I thought that stack looked a bit heavy. That will keep you from dropping them if someone should accidentally bump into you." She smiled at him again, and he nodded in thanks; he gave her the book and quill back, took the large bag, and left the library, cutting into a secret passageway that would take him back to his rooms and avoid a fair amount of student contact.

He got back to his rooms in record time and set the bag of books down next to his chair in front of the fire, spreading them out on the floor so he could see each cover and title. He stared at them for a moment, suddenly lost on where he should start; since they all seemed like they would have the same type of information, he finally just grabbed the one closest to his hand and placed the others carefully back in the bag before settling down in his chair, tucking his legs underneath him as he did so.

He opened the book to the table of contents and scanned it quickly. "Hmmm… What is a relationship? No… How do you know when you meet the right person? Maybe… In the beginning: How to ask that special someone out. No… Step two: Managing a successful date. No… Beyond: Making a relationship work… Possibly… Index. Not yet." He flipped forward to the second chapter.

When he reached the end of the chapter, Harry looked up from the book and frowned thoughtfully, then closed the book and looked through the others, briefly scanning their contents. His initial assessment of his picks was correct: they all held roughly the same information. No sense in keeping them at the moment then.

He gathered up the bag and extra books, keeping the first one he had selected set to the side,  then  retrieved his own bag and set off for the library again. He glanced at his watch, 4.45, and nodded to himself. He would have just enough time to return the books he didn't want, look for a few more, and get a bit more reading in before dinner.

Madam Pince looked up when he entered the library. "Back so soon, Harry? That was quite a load you checked out. Surely you're not done with them already?"

"Er, no, not really. It's just that… I think I got some wrong ones when I was here earlier and I wanted to return them, in case someone else needed them." He quickly handed the books over to the older woman, who took them, crossed the titles off of her list, and spelled the books back to their proper place on the shelves.

"Do you remember where they were?"

"Yes ma'am. Thank you."

"Well, you just bring them to me when you're ready."

"Thank you Madam Pince." Harry smiled shyly at her then set off for the section he had been in earlier. When he reached it, he began scanning the shelves, looking over the titles he had checked out earlier, and browsing through a few that hadn't looked good earlier. He decided on three more, pulled them off the shelves, stowed them in his bag and checked out, with not an odd look from Madam Pince, which he was eternally grateful for, and went back to his rooms to read.

It wasn't until almost 8.00 that Harry looked up from the book he was engrossed in, and that was only because Albus' head had appeared in the flames in his fireplace. He quickly closed the book and set it down in his chair as he got up to kneel down next to the fire.

"Hello Harry."

"Hello Albus."

"I was just popping in, if you will pardon the joke, to see how you were doing. We didn't see you at dinner tonight." Harry looked around the room, but didn't see his clock. "Accio Snitch Clock!" The tiny clock zoomed into the room and fluttered about a half a meter from Harry's face. He looked at it, then blinked and turned back to the fire.

"Sorry, I didn't realize what time it was."

Albus twinkled at him merrily. "Of course." He smiled then glanced down to where the snake pendant was hanging, shimmering in the firelight. "Is that a new necklace? I haven't seen it before."

Harry's hand shot to the pendant. "Oh, uh, this? I uh… Borrowed it." Albus arched an eyebrow. "Severus let me use it when we went to Hogsmeade today. I just forgot to return it to him."

"I see. How was your trip, by the way? Did you have fun?"

Harry nodded hastily. "Oh, yes! It was a lot of fun. I don't think I could have done it without company, but it was very enjoyable." He smiled brightly at the older man, who smiled back.

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time, but as to why I called. Since you were not at dinner, would you like me to send a House Elf up? We had Shepherd's Pie tonight."

Harry was about to answer when his stomach decided to do the talking for him and rumbled loudly; Albus laughed. "I will take that as a resounding yes. Dobby will be up shortly. Have a good night Harry."

"Night Albus." He smiled at the older man again, who nodded in return, then disappeared from the flames.

True to his word, Dobby appeared not five minutes later with a steaming plate of food, a chilled decanter of pumpkin juice, and a chilled plate of chocolate pie. They had a short conversation and Dobby left shortly after, leaving Harry to his books and food.

~~

Albus leaned back from his fireplace and sighed. Well, he had known it was bound to happen at some point or another, and at least Harry was going to books instead of the rumor mill, not that he had many friends to go to rumors for. He took another pinch of Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames. "Severus Snape's Office!" He watched the flames dance and shimmer, then stuck his head in. "Severus? Do you have a moment?"

Severus looked up from where he was grading a few final papers and turned to the fireplace. "Albus?"

"I have something I wish to discuss with you. Are you free at the moment?"

Severus set the papers down and nodded to the disembodied head in the flames. "Of course."

With a soft 'Whoosh', Albus stepped into the room from the fireplace. He nodded in greeting to Severus, then conjured up a squashy chair for himself and sat down in front of the large desk, where he steepled his fingers together and looked over the tops of them at Severus.

"The last time you sat there and looked at me like that, we ended up staring at each other for almost ten minutes. What have I done this time?" Severus asked skeptically.

Albus laughed. "Oh nothing. I just wanted to see how things were going between you and Harry."

"You say that like there is something between us."

"There's not?"

"No."

Albus stared at him, eyes once again boring holes into Severus, who shifted uncomfortably. Curse the old man for being able to see straight through his defenses like that!

"What makes you think that there is something between us?" He finally asked.

Albus shrugged. "Well, you both seem to be doing much better the more time you spend with each other."

"I was under the impression that there was nothing wrong with me in the first place." Severus muttered.

"You both seem happier."

"I am not a happy person, Albus, you know that."

Albus continued like he hadn't heard him. "And the fact that Harry was wearing your necklace is a large, flashing, 'Look over here' sign."

Severus snorted, internally pleased that Harry still had it on. "I was merely letting him borrow it." He said coolly, hiding the tiny little voice that was cheering in the back of his mind.

"If that were true, why didn't you take it back after you returned from Hogsmeade?"

"I forgot."

"You lie. You are not the type to forget something like that."

Severus growled again and shifted in his seat, but remained silent as he continued to mentally cursed the older man.

Albus tilted his head thoughtfully, tapping his fingertips together. "Well, just let me say this; something for you to think about in the future. Harry is an adult, and not one to care about anyone lightly. Nor is he a student, and there is nothing in the rules about any sort of interaction amongst the staff, other than not murdering each other. I trust you will both make the right decisions." He smiled in that 'I know something you don't know and I'm not about to tell you' manner that made Severus want to lunge for his throat, then stood and banished his chair.

"Ah well, that was all. I just wanted to stop by for a moment, and now I will be off. Do have a good night Severus." Without another word, Albus turned and left the Potions Office, the large pink and purple cat on the back of his sky blue robes grinning madly.

Severus stared at the shut door of his office, once again gobsmacked. Twice in one day he'd been completely caught off guard! What was wrong with him? "Get a grip on yourself man!" He rubbed his face. "Next thing you know you'll be humming to yourself in the middle of class!" And did Albus just tell him…? He shook his head. Surely he hadn't; he must have just been imagining things.

 

** MORE PROBLEMS **

The following Thursday, Filius looked up from a large stack of papers taller than he was and frowned at them. "Harry, can you give me a hand with these please? I need to get them all graded and I just don't have the time. Are you free tonight to do some?"

Harry looked down from where he was perched on a tall stack of books, sorting items onto a few shelves. "Well… Uh… I did have something planned, but I think I can cancel it. Severus was going to teach me how to make an Eyesight Correction Potion, but I'm sure he won't mind." He jumped down from the stack, landing gracefully with a loud thump. "Is it okay if I use your fireplace to call him and tell him I can't make it?"

"Of course, of course!" Filius gestured towards his office. "The powder is on the hearth in the large jar."

"Thank you Filius." Harry wandered into the large office and found the canister, grabbing a pinch of powder out of it. "Severus Snape's office!" The flames roared green and he stuck his head in; before he could even get a word out to the Professor, he stopped, mouth falling open, words dying in his throat.

There, in the middle of the office, were Professor Snape and Draco Malfoy. Kissing each other. Harry choked and stared, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him, no matter how much he wanted to. Draco had his arms wrapped loosely around the older man, mouth pressed tightly to Severus'. Severus had his hands on the younger man's shoulders and was making no attempt to shove the boy away, or even end the kiss. When Draco's hand found it's way to the back of Severus' neck and the blonde pressed even closer to Severus, Harry managed to find the strength to pull back from the fire place, breaking the connection.

Harry sat there, stunned at the realization; Severus liked Draco, not him. He choked again, trying to suck air into his suddenly useless lungs and stared at his hands for a moment before balling them into fists. Of course Severus chose Draco over him! Look at him! Pretty, rich, smart, and in Slytherin! Compared to scarred, scared, non-Slytherin Harry, Draco was the obvious choice! He rubbed furiously at his eyes and stood, hoping he looked acceptable, then left the office quickly, not daring to look back at the fireplace.

"Everything taken care of Harry?" Filius' voice piped up at him.

"Oh, yes, fine." He hoped and prayed that Filius couldn't hear the misery in his voice.

"Good, good." He handed a stack to Harry. "Can you do these while I do this stack?"

Harry took the papers and sat down at his own desk, throwing himself into the work so as to try to not feel the crushing weight in his chest. "Sure Filius." He was deeply disheartened when the attempt didn't work, but at least he got the work done.

~~

When Draco's hand settled lightly on the back of his neck and began playing with the tips of his hair, Severus snapped out of his shocked stillness; he shoved Draco back with all of his force, sending the boy back almost five steps to regain his balance. The older man stood there, almost vibrating with anger. "Just what do you think you are doing Mr. Malfoy?" He whispered dangerously.

Draco grinned seductively at the older man. "Kissing you. What did it look like?" He began advancing on Severus again, bound and determined to get back into those arms.

"It looked like you were trying to see just how fast you could sign your own expulsion letter, that's what!" Severus snarled, balling his hands into fists and trying very hard not to forcefully slap some sense into the obviously empty head.

At the sound of the word 'expulsion', Draco's progression halted and he stared blankly at Severus. "Wha…? Expulsion? But I thought…!" Draco's vocabulary was suddenly reduced to fragments and monosyllables that couldn't be coerced into forming words.

"I am very well aware of what you thought you were doing. The question is what in the name of every single deity that ever existed gave you the idea that I would even be remotely interested in any relationship with you, other than the strict student/teacher one that is currently in place?"

Draco took a step back, shocked. "But I… I… I thought…"

"You thought what?" Severus' voice was still low and threatening.

Draco stared at the older man blankly, then snapped out of his daze. "I know you fancy men, so don't try to deny it!" He stated brazenly.

"My sexual preferences are not the subject of this conversation, Mr. Malfoy. Now, I would suggest that you leave my office this instant before I take this matter to the Headmaster and have you removed from this school." Snape growled at him, livid.

"Removed?" Draco's voice was abruptly very small.

"Yes, removed. Since you seem so determined to try to begin some sort of relationship with me, I would have expected that you would have done at least a day's worth of research on this matter like any real Slytherin would have!" Draco blanched, his usually pale face going dangerously white. "If you had done your homework, you would know that any relationship between a student, above the age of consent of not, and a staff member is strictly forbidden by the school and is punishable by the expulsion of the student and the permanent removal of the professorship from the staff member in question!" Severus glared viciously at Draco, chest heaving slightly in his anger. "Now… Just what gave you the idea that I would want to risk my profession on a one night stand with you?"

"I… I…" Draco was reduced to monosyllables again.

"Yes? You what?" The look Severus was giving Draco could have easily lowered the temperature in Hell by a good thirty or forty degrees.

"I… I…" Draco stared wide-eyed at Severus, then blinked when he remembered what he had been trying to say. "I've seen you with him." Draco spat out, suddenly enraged that the professor had chosen that scar-head over him.

"'Him'?" May I suggest you be slightly clearer?" Severus arched an eyebrow at the younger man.

"Yes, him! That scar-headed little freak that never shows any skin other than what's on his face! I know you fancy him! I saw you kissing him!"

Severus' glare increased from 'Severely Pissed Off' to 'Flat Out Murderous'. "My relationship with any member of the staff is of no concern to you."

"But you just said that it's against the rules to have a relationship with a student! I could take it to Dumbledore!" Draco shot back, grasping at the imagined loophole and running with it.

"Go ahead." Severus whispered venomously. "You will find that since Mr. Potter is a member of the staff and not a student, any sort of relationship I have with him is within the school rules, and therefore I will not be in any sort of situation that would cause me to lose my position here. However, if you take that up with the Headmaster, I would be forced to bring up this little incident, but considering that I will be anyway, it is of no concern to me what you do." He glared at Draco lethally for a long moment. "Now, you will remove yourself from my office this instant before you make matters even worse for yourself."

Draco stared again, stunned. Severus had rejected him! In favor of that little weirdo! "How dare you choose him over me you… You… You fucking bastard!" He screeched at Severus.

"FIVE HUNDRED POINTS FROM SLYTHERIN FOR THAT!" Severus roared, so angered that he didn't even care that he had just permanently removed Slytherin from the running for the House Cup. "NOW GET OUT!"

Draco shrunk back then turned and ran out of the office. He had barely made it through the door when it slammed loudly behind him, nearly catching his heels.

~~

"Well Harry, I think that about calls it a night. How much do you have left?" Filius' voice floated over to Harry, who was staring unseeingly at the top of his desk. He had finished all of the papers and had taken up drifting through his thoughts, trying to sort out the mixture of hurt, anger, and rejection he was feeling.

"I'm finished." He smiled blandly at the tiny man, who nodded and smiled back, albeit a bit more brightly.

"Well then! I think this calls for a meal. Care to join me for a bit of dinner in the Great Hall?" He hopped down from his seat and looked up at Harry, who nodded and stood as well.

"That sounds nice. I am rather hungry." That was a blatant lie on both counts, but he didn't want to have to try to explain anything at the moment, and it was easier to just nod and go along.

"Wonderful! Shall we?"

Harry nodded again and made his way over to the door, then pulled it open and held it while Filius tottered through; he followed, waving his hand idly at the lights to extinguish them, and shut the door, making sure it was locked securely behind them before catching up with the smaller man. Filius chattered on about something as they walked along, but Harry wasn't paying attention, only making the appropriate sounds of acknowledgement every so often. By the time they were actually in the Great Hall and seated, Harry had sunk so far into his pit of self-loathing and hurt that he was more than happy enough to stay there for the rest of his natural life. Filius tried to get him into a conversation about the next week's lessons, but gave up after the third or fourth attempt, and turned to comment on a discussion about some new Quidditch star that Professor Sprout and Madam Hooch were chatting on about.

Harry somehow forced the food that appeared on his plate into his mouth and down to his stomach, although it sat heavily and made him feel like he couldn't breathe. He happened to glance up as Albus walked in and seated himself, looking slightly ill at ease, then followed the older man's gaze to the Slytherin table, where Draco Malfoy was holding court with the other seventh years, and suddenly felt sick. He stood from his seat, nodded a vague good night to Albus, who gazed questioningly up at him from his seat, and left, but not before noticing the arrogant smirk that Draco threw his way.

He stood outside the Staff Doors for a moment, trying to catch his breath and then began climbing the stairs to his rooms. He stopped short when Severus came into view from the hallway that lead to the Headmaster's Office, sweeping along in his usual fashion and stared at him, unable to breathe again.

Severus cut off his inner fuming at all things Malfoy and stared back at Harry, who was looking at him with a cross of sadness, hurt, and something else deeper than those two emotions flickering across his face in rapid, repetitive succession.

"Harry?" Merlin, he couldn't know, could he? Albus had sworn that he wouldn't tell anyone about what had happened… Surely Harry couldn't have found out already… And he couldn't possibly believe that there was anything between him and Draco!

The emotions on the boy's face strengthened ten fold and Harry clenched his jaw, feeling tears building and threatening to spill over; he looked away swiftly from Severus and ran up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time.

Severus stood there, silent and stunned as the footfalls faded into silence. He knew; there was no other explanation for it. He must have found out. Severus swallowed again, suddenly dreading dinner, and set off for his rooms to eat alone. He would speak with Albus again later.

 

** APATHY, POTIONS, AND MORE DISCUSSIONS **

The next morning, Harry awoke with his eyes gummed together and his sinuses pounding.. After a few moments of staring blankly at the ceiling, he rubbed his eyes, clearing away the excessive amounts of sleep, and fumbled around for his glasses, which he soon found near his elbow.

He rubbed his eyes again after he sat up and looked down at himself. He was still wearing his clothes from the day before, and suddenly began pulling them off hastily, throwing them as far away from his as he could until he was standing naked in the magically heated room. He stared down at himself, noting every scar that he could see, and suddenly balled his fists up, disgust and rage filling him again.

"You fucking freak! You disgusting, worthless pile of shit!" He screamed, although if he had been asked, he couldn't have told who he was raging at. He spun around and swung his fist at the closest breakable object, which happened to be the window. It shattered, glass flying, most spilling out the window, with a few shards embedding themselves into the back of his already scarred hand, blood instantly welling up and dripping to the floor.

He gasped in pain and stared at his cut and bleeding hand for a moment, then rushed to the bathroom and held his hand over the sink. He rummaged around through his things until he found a pair of tweezers, then began extracting the glass from his skin, eyes watering with pain.

Once he was sure he had removed all of the shards, he raised his hand and called out "Accio bandages!" The charmed bandages that Poppy had given him for Christmas flew into the bathroom, but rather than landing with a 'Smack!' in his palm, they hovered in front of his wounded hand and began wrapping themselves around his cuts. He could feel the magic flowing into his wounds, but also knew that one or two of the cuts would take longer to heal if he didn't go to the Hospital Ward. He snorted a bitter laugh through his nose. He'd had far worse than these few scrapes go unseen by a medical professional; these were nothing.

He gasped again as he left the bathroom, this time from a gust of horrendously cold winter air that was now rushing into the room through the still broken window. He rushed over and stuck his head out the window, looking down to the ground. Although he couldn't see where they had fallen, he knew the remains of the window were entombed in the snow. He noticed with wry satisfaction that there hadn't been any students around to witness the falling glass and have their interest piqued; he didn't want to think about how he would explain the incident to anyone. With a sigh, he stepped back from the window, muttering "Reparo" at it. He didn't have to watch to know that the broken bits of glass were flying back to their proper places, slotting themselves back together seamlessly.

Rather than watch the magic work, he looked over at his clock and found that not only had he slept in, he had completely missed breakfast and the first part of the first period of the day. He sagged in on himself in relief that first today's first period was a break for them and turned to his closet, deciding that he'd rather not explain to Madam Pomfrey why he put his hand through a closed window. He began dressing slowly, putting on a clean pair of boxers, a pair of black pants, a black shirt, and his black boots to match his mood. He reached for his gloves and pulled them on, frowning slightly at how his right was tighter than usual from the bandages. He shrugged; if the cuts weren't better by the end of the day, he'd find some way of getting them healed without having to answer any difficult questions.

After dressing, Harry aimlessly drifted into his kitchen, but decided against eating when his stomach revolted at the usually pleasant smell of breakfast. He banished it quickly and sat down in his chair, gazing at the books he still had. With a resigned sigh, he picked them up and left his rooms, heading up towards the library. Once he got there, he silently placed the books on Madam Pince's desk, nodded a vague greeting to the older woman, who took them and began checking them off of her book, and turned to leave, not paying attention to much of anything.

Harry's week followed with him in the same sort of depressed apathy that he had found himself in Friday morning. By the third day he was having a hard time concentrating on anything for longer than an hour, thanks to a lack of sleep. The moment that he closed his eyes, the image of Severus and Malfoy would flare up in his memory, ridding him of all desire for sleep. By the end of the week, he was barely able to keep his eyes open, functioning on restless nights and fitful naps when his body finally caved to the need for sleep. He had become so lethargic that even Peeves had stopped tormenting him, preferring the students who would actually react when he pulled a prank on them rather than Harry's unresponsive state.

As Harry drifted zombie like back to the Charms classroom from his chambers after lunch, he ran straight into Draco Malfoy, who was sneering at him with a nasty sort of pleasure.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. How lovely to see you." The blonde's tone was dripping with sarcasm; he could tell that Harry had somehow found out that he and Severus had been kissing, but didn't seem to know about anything afterwards. He could see that there were dark circles under his eyes, and had already observed an innumerable amount of times that Harry had flinched and quickly left when Severus entered the room.

"Mr. Malfoy. A pleasure, as usual." Harry stepped sideways and continued on to the Charms room, lost in his own thoughts. Being so close to Malfoy had dredged up all sorts of unpleasant feelings and Harry was now eager to get away from him, even if he was too tired to show it properly.

Harry's lifeless tone caught Malfoy off guard, who was used to seeing the dark-haired teen react with nervousness at his presence. He stared at Harry as he left, then blinked and glared at his back as he caught up to him.

"Hey, Mr. Potter. I didn't get a chance to tell you. Severus and I had a wonderful night last week. Did you know? We spent some lovely time in his office. I was planning on going to see him later tonight, and maybe tomorrow as well." He may have gotten his arse chewed off by Albus and Severus, and handed back to him by his father, but he wasn't about to let the hold he had on Harry go without a fight; besides, the other teen looked too horrible to not torment at least a little bit.

"That's nice. If you'll excuse me, I have a class to teach now." Harry tried to leave again, but was cut off a second time by Draco.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping. What's the matter, upset about something?" Malfoy's sickly sweet tone couldn't have fooled anyone, least of all Harry.

"Leave me alone, Draco."

"Or what? You'll take my wand like you did with those second years? I'm so scared."

Harry stared at him, too emotionally drained from the week before to warrant any sort of action. He closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, then reopened them and stared at Draco again. "You know what, Draco? I really don't care if you're scared of me or not." Draco's persistence had finally pushed Harry over the edge, and now that he had opened his mouth, everything he had been thinking found its form in words and spilled out. "Why don't you go bother someone who cares what you think? What will it take for you to just get over whatever it is you have against me? You want him? Fine, take him. Are you happy now? Malfoy won, Potter lost. Yippy." Harry skirted where Malfoy was smirking at him and left quickly.

"So glad you finally got it right, Mr. Potter." Draco called after Harry's retreating form.

~~

Harry entered the Charms classroom ten minutes later and nodded absently to Filius, who waved brightly at him from one of his stacks of books. He began setting out the supplies for the class, then sat down at his desk and yawned widely before beginning his work for the afternoon.

By the end of the day, Harry was nearly sleepwalking, but couldn't close his eyes. Every time he did, the image of Severus and Draco kissing would pop up like flames behind his eyelids, Malfoy's voice taunting him, and a choking wave of sadness that Harry was somehow managing to keep at bay would wash over him again.

"Harry? Are you all right?" Filius looked up at him. "You've been a bit off lately, my lad."

Harry rubbed his eyes and tried to smile. "I'm… Not feeling too well." It was the truth; Filius could draw his own conclusions about the matter.

"You should go see Poppy. I'm sure she'll be able to fix you up in a moment. Go on. I can handle this last bit of work on my own." Filius smiled warmly at Harry and began towards his office, a stack of papers floating along behind him.

The next day before dinner, after three more suggestions to go see Poppy from Quicksilver, Dobby, and Filius again, Harry finally began making his way to see the Mediwitch. He pushed the door open quietly and looked in the sterile Hospital Ward; fortunately there was no one else in the room that he could see, so he wouldn't have to distract her. He stepped in and looked up as she came bustling out of her office, where she had been.

"Harry! My dear, what's wrong?" She asked worriedly. He winced; he must have looked really bad to elicit that kind of reaction. Sure enough, she confirmed his thoughts when she ushered him over to a bed and made him sit down, pressing her hand to his forehead. "My dear, you look terrible. What's the matter? Not feeling well?"

Harry shook his head, feeling like a small child again; Poppy had always been like a mother to him when he was younger, and always seemed to understand when he said he couldn't sleep but didn't want to tell her about his nightmares.

"Well, we'll get you fixed right up. Have you not been sleeping well, or did this just come up recently? I've have ten cases of the Stomach Grumbles today alone… There's a bad case going around."

"I haven't been sleeping very well. Do you have something I could take?"

"Of course, dear. Let me just get you a bottle of Dreamless… Oh dear." Poppy stopped where she was reaching for where she usually kept her stock of Dreamless Sleeping Draught. Harry looked around from where he was sitting, and could just make out the cabinet. The empty cabinet. Wonderful.

The Mediwitch turned around back to Harry. "I'd forgotten that I was out. Would you like to lay down for a bit in here while I have a new batch brought up?" Harry nodded again, still feeling like a child, and allowed himself to be lowered onto the soft cot. He fuzzily felt his glasses being pulled of his face and set down, but the sudden comfort that surrounded him made him feel wonderfully sleepy. He curled up where he lay and stared at the wall, drifting off before being pulled into wakefulness by his memories.

Poppy went back into her office, and Harry numbly registered the muffled sounds of a conversation before she returned a minute later. He stared at her limply when she pressed a hand to his forehead again and said nothing while she clucked her tongue at him. He wouldn't have told Poppy why he hadn't been sleeping, even if he'd had the energy to do so; he didn't have the courage to and doubted that she would understand anyway. He'd just get a bottle of the potion from her and return to his rooms to hopefully sleep his way out of his gray mood.

He didn't look up from where he was watching Poppy work around her desk when the door opened and someone came in, causing her to make her way over to the visitor. "Ah, Severus. Thank you for bringing those up for me." Poppy saw Harry's cringe at the name, but wisely chose not to comment on it. "I would have come down myself but…" Harry could tell she had waved at him, and could feel the heavy weight of two pairs of eyes on his back. "Could you wait here for a moment? I just have a question about a potion you brewed for me earlier. Let me just take care of my patient first." Harry heard the sounds of potions bottles clinking together and suddenly Poppy was helping him sit up.

"Here we go. I was going to let you go back to your rooms, but I think I'll keep you here overnight instead." She lifted the bottle to his lips and he drank down the bitter potion in two swallows, reveling in the sudden lethargy that overtook him; he hazily become aware of Poppy lowering him back down to the bed and covering him up before the merciful potion swept him into darkness.

Severus stared at where Poppy was attending Harry. Merlin's beard, the boy looked terrible. If the bags under his eyes were any indication, he hadn't been sleeping at all, and he was forcefully reminded of the way Harry had reacted to him the week before. He had grilled Albus mercilessly after dinner, but the old man had sworn that he'd not said a word about what had happened to Harry and Severus had finally left the Headmaster's office with no more information then he'd arrived there with; he continued to watch as the diminutive Mediwitch stored her new batch of potions, then blinked in confusion as he was suddenly ushered into her office by his upper arm like a student.

"All right Severus. You tell me what happened to that boy and you tell me right now." Poppy whirled and glared up at him once they were in the safety of her office; he looked back down at her, automatically schooling his face into a perfect blank mask.

"Don't you even think about trying to pull the wool over my eyes with that face, Severus Snape. I know something happened and I want to know exactly what it was or I'm going to Albus."

"I have no idea what you're referring to, Poppy."

"Fine, I'm sure Albus will tell me. When he finds out that a member of the Staff is sick and it's by no infectious disease or curse that I've come across in my years here, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help me root out the cause of this." She fixed him with a level stare, somehow managing to stare down her nose at him despite her height disadvantage.

Severus shifted his weight, then looked back down at her. "Perhaps he has not been sleeping well. The bags under his eyes would indicate insomnia to me, although I am not a Mediwizard or Healer."

"I know there is more to this than that. First he comes in here looking like something the werewolf dragged in, and I've seen enough of Remus to know what that looks like, then you come in and he cringes like he got hit with the Cruciatus Curse when he heard me say your name." She placed her hands on her hips. "So either you can tell me, or I can find out on my own. It's your choice."

Severus shifted again; Poppy and Albus were the only other staff members that had ever been able to wrangle the truth out of him when he would have preferred to stay silent or lie. "There have just been some minor problems in my office." Poppy snorted at 'minor' but said nothing else. "I will resolve the issue."

"You had better, because if he comes in here again looking like that and I find out that you're behind it, I'll make sure you need a Healer or five, never mind a Mediwitch or wizard."

"Was that a threat?" The taller man arched an eyebrow at the small woman.

"That was a promise. I don't care if you're Staff or not; I won't have anyone under my care having any reason to be in that state." She shot him a motherly disapproving glance, then turned and seated herself at her desk. "Thank you for bringing those potions by though."

"I thought you said you wanted to ask me about a potion?"

"I lied. Did you really think I was going to say 'I want to talk to you about Harry' while he was laying right there?" She gave him a falsely benevolent smile and watched as he left the office, basket in tow.

Severus walked quietly through the rows of beds and stepped behind the screens that Poppy had set up around Harry's bed. He set the basket he had been holding on the floor and carefully ran the tipof his first finger over Harry's cheek, even though it would take far more than a gently gesture to rouse him from his potion-induced state. His face was rough with a day's worth of beard growth and Severus suddenly felt a pang of shame for being responsible for causing so much distress to the teen that he'd even forgotten a shaving charm; he pulled his hand back quickly. Not sure if it would be his last chance or not, he leaned down and quickly placed a soft kiss to the younger man's forehead. With a whispered 'I'm sorry, Harry.' Severus straightened and left the Hospital Wing quietly.

Poppy smiled serenely from her office doorway. So, the terrible Severus had a soft-spot for Harry. Well, it wasn't much of a shock; she just hoped that whatever 'problems' Severus had mentioned wouldn't be so bad as to force Harry to feel as if he had to lie to her again. She glanced down at the large basket that was still sitting next to Harry's bed and smiled again, then retrieved it, put it in her office, and resumed the work she had been doing before Harry had entered.

~~

Harry awoke the next morning dazed and hungry; he had barely raised his head up from where he hand burrowed into the warm sheets when Poppy's able hands were guiding him onto his back and pressing against his forehead again. "Well, nice to see you've decided to rejoin the living, Harry. How are you feeling?"

He yawned and rubbed at his eyes, then pushed his glasses into their place on his nose when Poppy pressed them into his hands and blinked up at her owlishly. "Better. Thank you."

Poppy nodded, then turned and waved her wand behind her; a small tray of food floated over to them and settled itself where Harry could reach it easily. He stared at the contents for a moment then looked up at her. "Breakfast food?"

Poppy nodded. "Yes, breakfast food."

"What time is it?" He began eating slowly, careful not to rush in case his stomach decided it didn't want the food.

"You mean what day is it." At Harry's confused glance, she pointed to a clock that said 8.20. "You fell asleep around 6.30 last night. You've been in here for nearly fourteen hours."

Harry rubbed his eyes again then looked around. "But the potion you gave me usually only lasts eight hours. What happened?"

"Whatever it was that was preventing you from getting any sleep was overcome by the potion and your body just took advantage of the situation and kept you out until you were better; it is not an uncommon situation. Now, unless you want me to force feed you, you'll eat everything on that plate. You haven't been eating, as well as not sleeping, have you?"

Harry shifted under her scrutiny and shook his head quickly. "No…" He murmured.

"I could tell. Well, since you haven't been eating, you must be nice and hungry and will eat it all." She bustled off and left Harry to force the food into his mouth with mechanical movements. He did feel better, but he would have rather not have had the food imposed on him. Fortunately it was a small amount and he managed to eat it all, much to Poppy's delight when she returned later.

After she cleared away his plates, she pressed her hand to Harry's forehead yet again and nodded slightly. "Well, you don't have a fever, and you're not any unusual color… I think it's safe to say that you can go now, but I want you to limit your activities until you've slept some more. If you still can't sleep tonight, let me know and I'll send you some more of the draught." She waved her wand behind her again and a neatly folded pile of clothes came floating into her hands. "I had the House Elves bring these up for you. Why don't you get yourself cleaned up a bit and changed, and then you can go."

"All right, but… Um Poppy?" The witch tilted her head in question. "I really don't want to go back to my rooms right now." He said quietly.

The older witch nodded in understanding. "Well… I normally don't allow it, seeing as you are not exactly sick, but…" She gave Harry an appraising look. "If you can find nowhere else to sleep, then you may come back here, but I want you to try to find a bed before taking up one of my cots, understood?"

"Yes ma'am." Harry nodded and took the clothes from her and looked down at himself. Sometime while he had been under the potion's influence, Poppy had gotten him out of his clothes and into a pair of the plain white and blue pajamas she had all of her patients wear if they were there overnight or longer. He sighed, still a little tired from the influence of the potion, and headed off for the bathroom.

~~

Thirty minutes later, Harry emerged from the bathroom area, showered, teeth cleaned, face smooth, and hair combed, even though it was still untidy in its usual way. He gave the pajamas to Poppy, who spelled them clean and put them away, smiled weakly at her, and began towards the door.

"Oh Harry. Wait a moment please. I need to ask you something." Harry turned back at Poppy's voice. She went into her office and returned a few seconds later with the large basket Severus had left the night before; Harry felt his heart stop, then start up again in the region of his feet.

"Since you're going downstairs, would you mind making a quick side-trip and return this to Professor Snape for me?"

"But… Can't a House Elf do it?" He stared leerily down at the basket that the small woman was holding out to him, waiting for it to bite him.

"Oh, they're terrified of Severus. They don't mind his chambers, just him. You know how the silly little things are." She forced the basket into his hands and steered him through the door, ignoring the sounds of protest he made. "Thank you so much Harry, you're a dear. I'll fire call him and let him know you're coming." She shut the door in his face and Harry had no choice but to do as she asked.

 

**MAKING UP**

Harry made his way slowly to the Dungeons, dreading what he knew he had to do; with any luck though, he'd be able to give Severus the basket, mumble that he'd left it, and beat a hasty retreat to the safety of his rooms. But what if he was with Draco? Harry bit his lip harshly and forced himself to think of other things. Of course, since he didn't want to think about Severus and Draco, that was the only thing that ran across his mind.

By the time he got to the Potions Office, Harry was just about ready to run to his rooms and completely forget about returning the basket. He raised his hand to knock on the large door and stood there, waiting and wondering how much it would cost to bribe Dobby into delivering the basket for him.

"Harry?" Harry turned his head and saw Albus coming down the hallway towards him from the opposite direction.

"Hi Albus." He smiled weakly at the older man.

"What are you doing down here? Poppy told me you were in to see her last night. I trust you're not sick?"

"No, I just wasn't sleeping well. She let me stay there overnight, then told me I could leave."

"But why aren't you in your rooms? You know she wouldn't like you wandering around after begin released."

Harry lifted the large basket. "Professor Snape left this in the Hospital Ward last night when he brought her some potions. She wanted me to return it before I went back to my rooms."

Albus nodded knowingly, then turned back in the direction he had come. "Well, he's not in there. Come along, I'll take you to him."

Harry followed along, confused when they kept walking after passing the Potions Lab. "Where is he?"

"In his rooms, actually. He mentioned something about not sleeping well either and I've just come from checking in on him."

"If… If he's sick, I don't think I should be disturbing him. I can return this to him later."

"Nonsense, you're already down here and Poppy asked you to. It wouldn't be nice if you didn't do as she asked."

Harry nodded mutely and followed along; well, at least he had tried to get out of it. They eventually reached a large door with an intricate snake curling protectively around a cauldron carved into the panel. "Here we are." He reached up and knocked smartly on the door. "Everything will be fine, Harry." By the time the words and sunk far enough into Harry's mind to make sense and before Harry had a chance to react to the implied message, Albus had swept off, robes shimmering brightly in the dark hall.

The door opened a moment later, revealing Severus, who was wearing Muggle style black slacks and a gray long sleeved shirt. Harry shifted nervously, hoping he wasn't staring; the older man looked good without his heavy robes covering him "Aren't you supposed to be in the Hospital Ward?" He asked, one eyebrow arched at Harry.

"Poppy let me leave." Severus stayed silent, still eyeing the younger man; Harry lifted the basket to show it to the older man. "She wanted me to return this to you. You left it yesterday." He shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable with the whole situation.

"I see. Thank you." He made no move to take the basket and Harry shifted again. "Why were you in the Hospital Ward yesterday Harry? If you were in need of a sleeping draught, I could have given you one myself, rather than you having to go to her for something so minor." It wasn't the best way to broach the subject, but Severus was determined to find out just how badly he had hurt Harry and it was the only way he could think of getting onto the topic without asking him directly, which, he had decided, would have been a bad idea, if the state Harry had been in was any indication; his keen eyes could still detect faint traces of the dark circles that had marred his face the day before.

"Oh… Uh… Well I… I didn't…" He trailed off, stumbling over his words. "I didn't want to disturb you and Draco." He finally whispered timidly, staring at the floor.

"Disturb me and… Who told you I was going to be with him?"

"He did."

Severus stared at Harry's lowered head, then growled. "That slimy little… I've had just about all I can take of that his arrogant, annoying…" Harry flinched and took a step back when Severus moved. "Come inside, Harry. I want to speak with you and I don't think my doorway is the best place to do it."

"I can't." Harry said quickly. "Poppy didn't want me doing too much today."

"This won't take long." He paused, then, hoping it would work, added, "Please, Harry."

Harry looked up through his bangs, then stepped inside, standing close to the wall while Severus shut the door. The taller man gestured to a pair of deep-seated, soft, wing-back chairs that were sitting at an angle to each other in front of a cheery fire that seemed oddly out of place, considering who's rooms they were in. Harry sat in the lesser-used looking chair and looked around, quickly taking in the room. He had thought that since the rooms were in the Dungeons, they would have been dark and creepy, but they were actually somewhat light and airy. One of the walls was devoted to magical windows with the same type of spell that the ceiling in the Great Hall had on it, and Harry looked 'out' at the pristine snow covering the grounds. The color scheme of the room they were currently in was mostly muted blacks and grays, but the 'windows' gave it a very open feeling.

Harry continued to take in the odd paradox of dark and light while Severus busied himself with something in a separate area of the room. There was a large forest green rug on the black hardwood floor and a large bookcase filled to bursting in one corner. A large table was covered in potions supplies and a second one was littered with what appeared to be tiny musical instruments that were sitting quietly. Harry had seen devices like that, and had often times amused himself with them before Albus had taught him the music charms. They would play various different types of classical music by themselves and sit like tiny figurines when not in use. He had been about to stand up to look at them closer when a large, sleek black cat with gray feet, ears, and tail tip wound its way between Harry's legs and jumped soundlessly into his lap. He watched the cat for a moment while it settled itself on his thighs, then began to carefully stoke it; the cat began purring loudly almost immediately upon the contact and Harry smiled at it.

"There aren't many people that Midnight takes a liking to. She normally prefers to ignore anyone and everyone, including myself sometimes." The cat raised her head and stared unblinkingly at Severus, meowed arrogantly at the older man, and then settled back down to enjoy the attention Harry was giving her.

Severus narrowed his eyes at the cat, then turned his attention to Harry. "Harry…" He paused, trying to find the right words. Where had his amazing grasp of the English language gone? "About Draco…" Ah yes, the Snape subtlety at its finest. Well, since his mouth had decided to jump in headfirst, he might as well follow along.

"You don't have to tell me anything." Harry said quietly, staring at Midnight. "I understand…" He trailed off and continued to rub the sleek cat, grateful for something to busy his hands with.

"I don't think you do." Severus sat down in the free seat across from Harry, staring intently at the teen. "If you think I have any sort of feelings towards Draco Malfoy, you are completely wrong." He said earnestly; Harry raised his eyes, surprised.

"But I saw you… Saw you two…" The wave of sadness that had been with him for the past week suddenly rushed back over Harry and he stopped, not trusting his voice to work without cracking. A tiny little voice that sounded horribly like Draco's kept whispering in his ear that Severus was lying, and the longer Harry sat there, the more he believed it.

"What?"

"I saw you kissing him." He accused brokenly; Severus stared, shocked at the statement. Well, shit.

"You… When?" And there went the amazing grasp of the English language again!

Harry nodded. "On Thursday… Filius wanted me to help him, and let me use his fire to call you to tell you that I wouldn't be able to meet you so you could teach me the Eyesight Correction Potion. You were with him in your office…" Harry trailed off again and sniffed, trying desperately not to cry in front of the older man. He gently pushed Midnight off of his lap and stood quickly, making to excuse himself and run headlong back to the safety of his rooms, but Midnight, in the manner that all cats have, stood directly in front of his feet, determined to make a dignified exit after being so unceremoniously dumped onto the floor. Harry didn't see the cat, however, and as he took a step to leave, he tripped over her, stumbled, and began to fall forward, thrown off balance as the cat took off like a shot, yowling madly. Severus, who had stood when he saw what Harry was doing, automatically reached out to catch the faltering teen, who fell clumsily into the older man's arms, instinctively wrapping his own around the taller man as he tried to steady himself.

They stood there, frozen; Harry with his arms wrapped loosely around the older man, and Severus, who had his hands on the younger man's shoulders. Harry looked up from where he had his face pressed into the hollow of Severus' shoulder and stared, eyes full of grief. His bottom lip began quivering as he continued to stare, and he pulled it into his mouth and bit hard, trying not to cry. He wasn't sure if Severus had realized it or not, but they were standing in the exact same position as he had seen Draco and Severus in and a part of him wailed miserably as the little Draco-voice kept picking at him, telling him that the older man recognized the way they were standing and was merely allowing it because he really did like Draco and was trying to make him feel terrible.

Severus looked down at Harry, completely spellbound by the hurt and sadness flooding the teen's expressive eyes; he felt something tighten around his heart when Harry began biting his lip, and Severus could tell that the younger man was valiantly trying not to cry. Severus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when no words would come out.

Harry stared up at the silent man, whose face was clouded by confusion, then dropped his arms and head, staring at the floor. "I should go…" He whispered quietly. "I know you'd rather have him here than me." He tried to pull away, but Severus tightened his hands on his shoulders and wouldn't let go; Harry obviously didn't believe what Severus had said not a moment ago.

"Actually, Harry, I would rather have you here and not him." Severus said, equally as quiet; Harry jerked his head up and stared, wide-eyed, at him. "You… You would?" he asked, confused. "But he's… But I'm… I'm not…"

"Not what? Stubborn? Arrogant? An annoying pain in the arse? That is true, you're not." Severus said mildly, hoping to comfort the younger man.

"I'm not pretty like he is, or smart, or in Slytherin…"

"And you think that matters?" Severus asked, stunned; Harry looked back down, not answering either way, although Severus clearly heard his silent yes. The older man looked down at Harry's messy hair, then shifted and dropped his hands, taking one of Harry's in his own and moved to sit back down in his chair, gently pulling Harry along. Harry followed mutely to the front of the chair next to Severus' legs, but didn't raise his eyes to meet the older man's. Severus propped his feet up on a foot rest in front of his chair, then looked up at Harry. "Turn around." He said, watching the boy carefully.

This was it. This was the part where Severus was going to tell him to leave and never bother him again. He was about to dismiss himself when a pair of strong hands wrapped around his waist and pulled back and down hard; Harry yelped in surprise as he fell off balance again and gracelessly collapsed into Severus' lap.

Harry automatically reacted by trying to get off of the man, worried that he was crushing him, but Severus clamped both of his arms around Harry's waist and rested his chin on Harry's shoulder, instantly stilling all of the teen's movements. "Now, you are not going to leave, or even get up from right here until you hear the rest of the story." He said quietly into Harry's ear, then leaned back against the back of the chair, tugging Harry with him and relaxing the grip he had on the smaller man's waist, but did not let go completely.

When Harry didn't say anything in response to Severus' statement, the older man began speaking.

"I am going to assume that you didn't see what happened after that little fiasco with Mr. Malfoy, did you?" Harry stayed silent and Severus continued. "Mr. Malfoy has always been on the rash side, and, as a result, has oftentimes thought he could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted." He paused for a moment, then spoke again. "He somehow got it into his head that I wanted a relationship with him, which I do not. Not only does he not appeal to my personal tastes in men, but I would rather not risk my job on a one night stand with a student."

Harry shifted slightly, turning to look at Severus. "But you were –"

"I know what we were doing." He cut Harry off. "What you don't know about what we were doing was that I ended it by shoving him back and nearly hexing him into next year. After having a 'discussion' with him, I took the matter to Albus, who resolved the issue by putting Mr. Malfoy on disciplinary probation for the rest of the year. If he gets so much as a detention, he'll run the risk of being expelled." Severus smirked darkly. "He was rather upset with the fact that I didn't choose him over you."

"You didn't?" Harry asked quietly, still disbelieving; Severus shook his head slowly, making and keeping eye contact with Harry.

"Now, as to what you said about not being pretty, smart, or in Slytherin…" Harry began biting his lip again.

"As far as I am concerned, you are far prettier than he could ever be, considering that I have taught you more in the first term of school than I will all year to my advanced students, I would have to say that you are smarter than he is, and I really don't care that you're not a Slytherin." He said matter-of-factly.

"But then why were you kissing him?"

"To put it bluntly, he jumped me. He came to my office, claiming he had to ask me something that couldn't wait until my Office Hours, I turned around to speak with him, and suddenly there he was. It took me a moment to realize what was happening. There is nothing in the world that would make me want him." He looked over to the wall. "Besides, I prefer your kisses much more than his," he said idly, as if merely repeating a fact of some sort, but he shifted enough to still be able to see Harry out of the corner of his eyes.

Harry had gone from looking scared and worried to hopeful disbelief. "Really?"

Severus nodded. "Really." He turned his head to look at Harry fully, who had relief written clearly across his face, and took a deep breath. Time to take the plunge and hope he survived. "Now, would it be too much trouble for you if I asked for one?"

Harry lowered his head, but looked up at Severus through his bangs, grinning playfully. "Only if you ask nicely."

Severus arched an eyebrow, then rolled his eyes. "Please?"

Harry looked back up at Severus and smiled. "Okay." Before Severus had a chance to shift, Harry tilted his head up and to the side a bit and pressed his lips to the older man's. Severus, unable to resist the temptation of the boy's mouth, kissed him back, then gently tugged Harry's usually abused bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled softly before releasing it and running his tongue over it apologetically.

Harry, not entirely sure about what to do, mimicked Severus' movements, if a bit hesitantly, and was amazed when the older man's mouth opened slightly in invitation; wrapping his arms around Severus' neck, he tentatively ran his tongue over the other man's teeth, then delicately over his tongue and roof of his mouth.

Severus groaned quietly at the careful touches and licked Harry's tongue softly, tightening his grip on the smaller man and shifting him slightly so that Harry was straddling Severus' thighs with his own, their chests pressing together, arms wrapped closely.

The continued to kiss lazily for a few minutes, Harry managing to slightly improve on his technique, Severus completely lost in the innocent teen. When they broke apart, Harry had a slight pink tint to his cheeks that Severus found extremely appealing, and he had managed to completely mess up Severus' usually tidy hair; Harry was surprised to find that the older man's hair wasn't greasy at all, just very fine and silky, and he wondered why it usually looked so lank and oily.

Severus lifted his hands and cupped Harry's face, their foreheads pressed together. Harry stared down at the older man, enthralled with Severus' bottomless black eyes; Severus stared back, as equally trapped by Harry's emerald ones. Harry was about to kiss the older man again when a loud meow came from the floor. Severus closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked down. Sure enough, Midnight was sitting on the floor, staring up at both of them with the feline disdain of someone paying attention to anything other than the cat in question. She meowed again and flicked her tail at Harry.

Severus made a low growling noise in his throat and then yowled darkly at the cat, who, to Harry's amazement, turned and stalked off, tail held high in the feline 'I'm leaving because I want to, not because you're telling me to' attitude.

"Damn cat. I don't know why I keep her sometimes. Always wanting something," he muttered then looked back at Harry, who was trying to suppress a round of giggles. "What?" He demanded, one eyebrow angled.

"You can talk to cats?"

"Yes, and if you tell anyone, I'll make sure she sheds on all of your clothes, then claws them to tatters." He said haughtily. "Only Albus and Minerva know, and I'd rather no one else did. I don't like too many people having too much information about myself."

"I think it's interesting." Harry said and grinned impishly at the older man. "Do you purr, too?" He lifted one of his hands to play with a strand of hair that had fallen into Severus' eyes, and, to Harry's amazement and delight, Severus made a deep rumbling sound in his chest, sounding exactly like a very large cat.

Harry laughed delightedly at the sound, and Severus made a face, slightly embarrassed. "Tell anyone that I purred at you and I will find a suitably horrid method of revenge. "

"But it was cute! Can you imagine what would happen if the Slytherins found out?"

"I'd rather not, if it's all the same to you." He smirked at Harry, then kissed him quickly and pushed at him to get him to move. "Up, imp. My pet is hungry and I'm very sure that this is not what Poppy meant by you getting more rest."

Harry untangled himself from the older man and stood, then frowned. "How did you know about that?"

"She fire called me not long after you left the Hospital Wing and said that you were coming down here with something for me and happened to mention that you were supposed to be getting bed rest." He sighed, then stretched and began towards the kitchen. "Do you think you can find your way back to the Main Hall? Not many of the Staff come down here that often, except for myself, of course."

Harry thought for a moment, the realized that he had no idea of where in the bowels of the school he was. "Uhm… Actually… No, I don't; I just followed Albus."

Severus nodded and gestured to the chair they had previously been occupying. "Very well. You may wait here for a moment while I take care of the cat, then I will escort you back."

Harry nodded and sat back down, raising a hand to cover the sudden yawn that sprang upon him; it was cut short, however, when Midnight leapt gracefully back into his lap and settled down, purring contently as Harry took up stroking her sleek fur again.

Severus reentered the room a few minutes later looking for his pet, a plate of food in one hand. At the smell of the ground meat, the large cat jumped down from Harry's warm lap and began winding around her human's legs, still purring loudly.

"Hedonistic beast." Severus stated with no real malice in his voice; he took a few steps back towards the kitchen, set down the plate, and began back towards the living room. "Are you ready to go Harry?" He went over towards the cloak rack and pulled on a spare set of black robes that he kept ready in case he had to go anywhere while he was in Muggle clothes. No sense in letting the students know he was capable of wearing anything other than his voluminous teaching robes.

When no response came, he turned back towards the chair Harry had been sitting in; he was still in the seat, but his head was tilted to the side and the rest of his body was relaxed in the way that only a deep sleep could bring. The older man watched the teen, pulled his robes off and hung them back up, then went to the chair and gently shook Harry's shoulder. "Harry. Wake up."

"Huh… Wha…?" Harry groggily lifted his head up and looked at Severus sleepily, not really focusing on the older man.

"You need to get up."

"Mmmkay…" Harry mumbled blearily and began to hoist himself up, still nearly asleep. Severus looked from the door to the rest of the school, then to one near the kitchen area; with a nod to himself, he placed both of his hands on the Harry's shoulders and began guiding the sleepwalking teen towards the door near the kitchen; Harry didn't regain enough of his mental facilities to question what was going on until he felt blankets wrapping around his shoulders and his glasses being tugged off of his face.

"Severus? What's going…" his words were cut off by a large yawn, "on?" he finished, blinking at the fuzzy room, trying to figure out how he had gotten back to a bed so quickly.

Severus shook his head. "Nothing, Harry. Go back to sleep."

"'Kay…" He said slowly. Severus stood and watched him as he shifted slightly in the large bed, then fell asleep, breath evening out; when he was sure Harry was deeply asleep, he bent over slightly and placed a soft kiss on the boy's lips before turning and leaving his bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Parseltongue was cannonically introduced, I immediately started a head-cannon list of what professors would be able to talk to what animals. Snape has always struck me as a cat guy. /shrug


	5. Chapter 5

**VALENTINES**

Severus glared at his assembled class of Gryffindor and Slytherin third years, causing most of them to shrink back in fear. His glare increased ten fold when it landed on a Gryffindor girl that was sporting a bright pink and red colored headband.

"I would think that after two years in my class, you would already know my personal opinions of the holiday next week, but as it seems that none of you have learned anything, I will state this again. I do not want a single piece of pink, red, and or white frippery in my classroom at all. I fail to see why anyone would wish to celebrate the day a man got decapitated for violating a roman ruler, but seeing as my opinion does not count for much in the ways of celebration, you continue to do so."

He straightened from his seat, tossing his hair in the exact manner that made most students feel the sudden urge to wet their robes, and continued to glare coolly at his students, who were now squirming nervously.

"Now, seeing as I have made my personal views of the upcoming holiday very clear, I expect you all to obey my classroom rules. Is that clear?"

The assembled students all nodded vigorously, a few of the braver students muttering 'Yes sir's, and Snape, slightly mollified, turned back to his demonstration table to begin the day's lessons.

The rest of the day proceeded in the same fashion, with him having to remind every single one of his classes not to indulge in Valentine's Day while in his class. Of course, it didn't help with the students who were intent on making cow eyes at their current loves, but at least he didn't have to stomach every one of his pupils wearing clashing shades of red and pink.

Severus finally retired to his rooms after dinner, grateful beyond words that he didn't have his office hours that night. He had just settled into his favorite chair, which had moved up greatly in his esteem since the weekend that Harry had stopped by after his short stint in the Hospital Ward, when his fireplace flared up with bright green flames and Albus Dumbledore's head appeared.

"Albus." The younger man nodded in greeting.

"Good evening Severus." The older man smiled benevolently at the black haired man, then looked down at something on his end of the fireplace; Severus couldn't tell what. "I realize that I may have already asked you this, but did you want Saturday night off duty? I know your personal views of the Valentine's Ball…" Albus trailed off and looked at Severus.

"Yes Albus, I do." The older man nodded, and marked something down on whatever was in front of him. "Very well then, you have the night off. I trust that you won't be spending the night at the school?"

"If I can avoid it." Albus nodded sagely again and Severus had the distinct impression that the older man was ignoring his chilly tone, rather than missing it.

"Good, good. Thank you for you time Severus. I will see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night, Albus." Severus watched while Albus disappeared and the fire died down to its previous low flame.

He was staring at the fire while debating his lesson plans for the upcoming week when an idea jumped him out of nowhere, settled itself firmly in his mind and began picking at his attention. He fingered his snake pendant absentmindedly and nodded to himself, then stood, took a pinch of Floo Powder, and tossed it into the flames.

~~

Harry looked up from his chair where he was curled up with his feet tucked under him when his fire roared green. He glanced quickly at his Snitch Clock, which was flitting around the mantle of the fireplace, then frowned in confusion when Severus' head and shoulders appeared in the fire. "Harry?"

Harry shut his book and scooted to the floor near the fire. "Hello Severus." Severus didn't usually feel the need to fire call him, seeing as they saw each other on a fairly regular basis, now that they were on far better terms with each other.

"I have something to ask you." Severus stated plainly. He pursed his lips lightly, hoping he didn't look as nervous as he felt. You'd think he'd never asked another person out before in his life. Oh wait.

Harry tilted his head in the way that always made Severus think of an owlet, or some other young bird. "Okay."

"Has Albus spoken to you regarding the eve of the Valentine's Ball?" Nice job there, Severus. Way to just jump in headfirst like a first year Gryffindor.

Harry nodded, head still slightly tilted, and thought a moment. "Uh huh… He wanted to know if I wanted the night off." He made a face like he thought it was a strange question, then an 'Oh well' face and looked back to the older man. "Why?"

"I was merely wondering if you would like to… Go out for the night." He said it as off-handedly as possible, hoping beyond hope that he didn't sound like a complete moron; after a pause that was probably a beat too long, he added, "To get away from the puerile, asinine frivolity that is Hogwarts on the fourteenth of February." It was an acceptable save on his part; not the best, but better than blathering on about something.

Harry began to smile, but about halfway through it, his face fell like a flying rock; Severus felt something give an unpleasant jostle in his stomach at the face. "If you do not wish to-"

"No, no! It's not that," Harry cut in quickly. "It's just that… I already told Albus that I would be okay here. He said that I didn't have to go to the ball if I didn't want to though." He paused, weighing his chances. "Do you think that he would let me go with you instead?"

Severus shrugged, one shoulder appearing in the flames before disappearing again. "I fail to see why he should do otherwise."

Harry nibbled on his lip for a few seconds, then nodded. "Okay." He smiled, lip still caught. "I'll ask him. Will you be in your office?"

"No, my rooms." Harry nodded quickly. "Okay," he said again. "I'll uh… Call you back in a few minutes?" Severus nodded. "Very well. I will speak with you shortly." He pulled back and vanished from the flames.

Harry stared at the flames for a long minute then looked down as Quicksilver made her way into his lap. " _And how isss Ssseverusss thisss night?_ " Harry wasn't sure, but he had the vague feeling that the large snake rather liked the prickly man, even if she didn't see much of him.

" _He ssseemed fine. Why do you asssk?_ "

" _I wasss sssimply curiousss._ "

" _Curiosssity killed the sssnake, you knowsss._ "

" _It mossst ssscertainly did not!_ " The snake replied huffily. Harry laughed at her, then reached out to rub her head in apology; the snake hissed pleasantly, soothed of her indignation, then allowed Harry enough room to make himself comfortable for his call. He took a pinch of his Floo Powder and tossed it into the flames. "Albus Dumbledore's Office!" The flames flickered and flashed, and he stuck his head into the fire.

Albus looked up from his desk where he was playing with some complicated looking instrument. "Ah Harry? How are you?"

"Fine, thank you." He paused for a moment, then looked up to the seated figure from his place on the floor. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Oh course, my boy. What is it?"

"Well uh… It's just… Um… Would it be okay if I went out this Saturday instead of staying in my rooms?" He asked quickly, getting the words out as fast as possible.

Albus' eyebrows arched for a few seconds while he thought. Harry? Asking if he could go out and not having someone else do it for him? What an improvement! The old man smiled benevolently at the teen, then pulled a scroll over to where he could write on it. "Of course, of course. Let me just make a note here… There we are…" He smiled at Harry again, then rolled up the parchment and put it away with a wave of his wand. "All right then, you have the night off. Would it be safe to assume that you're going out with a friend?"

Harry knew that Albus was referring to Severus and nodded slightly, a shy grin on his face; Albus chuckled brightly and waved his hand in a dismissive fashion. "Well, have fun, my boy. Try not to get into too much trouble."

"Okay." Harry grinned again, then pulled back from the fire, breaking the connection. Albus smiled brightly at the fire and stroked his beard. Improvements, indeed.

~~

Severus looked up from where he was sitting in his chair when his fire roared up again, this time revealing Harry's presence in the flames.

"He said I could go!" Harry exclaimed cheerfully, not pausing for greeting; Severus didn't feel the need to say 'Hello' either. The older man simply nodded once, setting the book he was reading aside.

"Good."

"Where are we going?" Harry asked brightly.

"There is a small Muggle restaurant in London that serves very good food. How does that sound?"

Harry's smile vanished at the word 'Muggle' and he suddenly looked very nervous. "M-muggle?" He asked, hoping he had heard wrong; Severus nodded. "Yes. Why? Is there something wrong with that?"

Harry shrugged slightly, one shoulder lifting into the fire. "Well… It's just… Well…" Harry raised his hand and made a vague gesture indicating something that should have been blatantly obvious. "You know…" He starting biting his lip with a force Severus hadn't seen since the day they had gone to Hogsmeade.

Severus thought for a moment, and then his mind connected with what the problem was with the plan. Harry's 'family' had been Muggle! Of course he would have issues with going to a Muggle restaurant! Severus growled internally at his stupidity then tilted his head to Harry's disembodied one. "If you do not wish to go, we could make plans to go somewhere else."

Harry bit his lip harder, then released it when Severus spoke. "Well…" He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Keeping them shut, he said quietly, "I can't really keep hiding here forever…" He opened his eyes and looked at the seated figure, a mixture of worry and determined resignation on his face. "Sounds great. What time?"

Severus wasn't convinced. "If you are uncomfortable, we do not have to go."

"No, no," Harry said quickly. "It sounds like fun. Really." He smiled a bit more brightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. Severus could tell he was trying to be brave, and felt an odd sense of pride that Harry was making a somewhat active attempt to overcome his fears; he nodded to the younger man in acceptance. "We should leave around 7.45. I will have a Portkey ready to use, since we cannot Apparate from the grounds."

Harry nodded and smiled again, this time a bit more brightly. "Okay. Will it be all right if I come by around 7.30?" Severus nodded. "Yes, that will be acceptable."

Harry smiled again and pulled back from the fire, breaking the connection. As soon as the fire had died back down to its usual color, Severus rubbed his face and stared at the flames. "I have a date with the son of my old school rival, and I actually want to do this. Merlin help me."

~~

The night of the Valentine's Ball arrived, and, with Quicksilver's help, Harry opened his wardrobe and looked through his clothes. Most of his clothing was Muggle style, his one concession to his Muggle 'family', and he hoped it would be nice enough for his date with Severus, without being too formal. He shivered slightly and grinned when he thought about their plans.

He grinned again and pulled out his nicest pair of black trousers and a dark green turtleneck. Eyeing them critically, he eventually decided that that they would be suitable. If worse came to worse, he could transfigure them to be a little less or more dressy. He then reached in for his best cloak to go over the clothes. With a slow circular movement of his hand and a quick flick of his wrist, the cloak shimmered and reformed into a Muggle style coat.

" _What do you thinksss, Quicksssilver? Will thessse be good for tonight?_ "

The large snake lifted her head from where she was coiled on the foot of Harry's bed and surveyed the clothing. She flicked her tongue a few times then bobbed her head in affirmation. " _They will do very wellsss._ "

" _Good._ " Harry nodded and began stripping off his clothes to change. When he got down to just his boxers, his pet lifted her head again and eyeballed his chest like it was something unpleasant.

" _Why haven't yousss returned thatsss?_ "

Harry lowered his gaze and looked at the snake necklace, which was currently sitting in a loose coil, resting lazily.

" _Um… Becaussse I just haven't?_ " He grinned sheepishly at Quicksilver, who made a face that Harry knew to be the equivalent of a human arching their eyebrow. " _Well, he hasssn't asssked for it back, ssso I've been keeping it._ "

" _I sssee…_ " The snake eyeballed the pendant again then lowered her head back to the bed. " _Well, at leassst it looksss like me. That'sss okay._ "

Harry laughed and pulled the clothes on, making sure to keep the trouser legs over his boots instead of tucking them in as he usually did. After he got his shirt on and tucked in, with the sleeves over the tops of his gloves, he looped a nice looking black belt with a silver clasp around his waist and turned back to Quicksilver. " _Well?_ "

The snake raised her head and nodded her approval. " _Very nicssse. You look almossst like you knowsss what you are doingsss._ "

" _Gee thanksss. You're a real helpsss._ " Harry muttered sarcastically.

The snake gave her shrug movement, then lowered herself down to the floor and wound her way over and around his feet; when she moved away, Harry noted with pleasure that his boots had been shined to perfection. " _I takesss it back. You're a real helpsss! Thanks!_ "

" _It isss the leassst I can do._ " Quicksilver replied, pleased with her work and looking at her reflection in the toes of the boots; Harry rolled his eyes and reached down to rub her head fondly, then straightened and placed his coat over his arm and looked at his Snitch clock, which was currently darting in mad circles around the legs of his bed. "Accio Snitch clock!" The small clock zipped up to Harry where he could read it and he noted with a pleased grin that the display currently read 'Almost time to go!', which would give him enough time to get down to the dungeons and still be on time.

Harry looked down at the floor when Quicksilver rubbed against him, getting his attention. In her mouth, she had a pair of gloves held tightly in her mouth. He reached down and took them, placing them in one of the coat pockets. " _Thanksss Quicksssilver. I almost forgot thossse!_ "

" _Which isss why I am here. Make sssure you tell him I helped with thossse._ "

" _I will. Thanksss again._ "

With a final long rub to Quicksilver, which left the snake hissing in pleasure, Harry looked in the mirror, ran his hand through his hair and watched it fall back into its usual messy state, put his glasses in his pocket, just in case, and left his rooms, locking and warding the doors behind him.

~~

Severus looked up from where he was transfiguring one of his cloaks into a Muggle style coat as Harry had done to his own when a knock sounded at his door and the wards informed him that it was Harry. "Open."

Harry stepped in when the door opened of its owner's accord and shut it behind him. He had gotten somewhat used to doors opening without anyone doing the actual movements, but it still threw him off a bit. After making sure it was closed fully, he looked up just in time to see Severus enter the room from his bedroom, fully clothed with his own coat draped over his arm. Harry managed to not drool all over the floors, but that didn't stop him from staring just a bit; with any luck, the older man wouldn't notice.

"What?" Severus arched an eyebrow and began pulling his coat on. "Why are you staring at me?" Well, so much for not noticing.

Harry blinked and lowered his head a bit, hoping to hide the blush he knew was creeping up his cheekbones. "Oh uh… Well uh…" He smiled shyly up at the older man. "You look good."

Severus looked down at his clothes: a black open necked, long sleeved shirt with the cuffs fastened with plain silver cufflinks, a plain pair of black trousers with the legs draped over his usual Dragonhide boots, and a simple silver signet ring with a scripted 'PM' on his right middle finger from when he was named a Potions Master. He looked over his clothes again quickly and turned to retrieve something from one of the tables; Harry noted with approval that the older man had pulled his hair back from his face and tied it with a thin silver cord at the nape of his neck.

After watching Severus for another second, Harry began pulling his own coat on, touching one of the pockets to make sure the gloves were there. He turned back when he had it on, and noticed that the older man was holding what looked like a Muggle pen.

"Are you ready Harry?"

Harry nodded, then looked at the pen again. "Is that our Portkey?"

Severus nodded and held it out to Harry, who took a hold of the bottom section of the pen. When nothing happened, Harry looked up in confusion. "Isn't this the part where we get sent somewhere?"

Seven nodded, then uncapped the pen. By the time the world stopped spinning, the pair were standing in a deserted alleyway in what Harry could only guess to be Muggle London. He swallowed thickly as a cold hand suddenly wrapped itself around his heart and squeezed tightly. Severus looked down at Harry, who was biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed. He took the pen and recapped it, then placed it in the pocket of his coat. "Are you all right, Harry?"

Harry looked up from where he was staring at the entrance to the alley, hoping that he looked a lot braver than he felt. "I'm fine." He smiled halfway and bit his lip again; Severus didn't believe him for an instant, but chose not to say anything. Instead, he simply held out his hand in invitation to the younger man.

Harry took Severus' hand gratefully and felt better about the whole situation, even if there still was a small worm of fear sitting in the back of his mind. They began towards the alleyway and paused before exiting, looking back and forth along the sidewalk; after a few moments, they stepped out together, Severus pulling Harry along slightly so he would know it was safe to exit. They entered the crowd smoothly, no one noticing when two men suddenly appeared in the crowd from what appeared to be a plain brick wall.

As they walked along, Severus led Harry down the sidewalk, dodging people and cars; he shivered at the press of the crowd and moved to walk a little closer to the older man. "Where are we going?" He finally asked while they were standing at a crosswalk with a small group of Muggles.

"We will be dining there." Severus gestured across the street and down a few shops to a restaurant called 'The Waltz'. Harry looked at it closely, then decided that they were dressed at an acceptable level for the establishment.

They eventually made their way across the street and into the restaurant, where a tall, thin man with a tiny moustache greeted them. "Do you have a reservation?" he asked Severus, not paying any attention to Harry.

"Yes. Two under the name Alexander."

Harry looked up at the name, but Severus didn't meet his gaze. The man looked through a long list of names, found the one Severus had given, then looked at them and gestured for them to follow. "Right this way, please."

Harry examined the other patrons while following the two men, then looked at one of the two empty chairs at the table the man indicated as theirs. He pulled his coat off and placed it on the back of his chair, then sat down while Severus did the same. The man left them after that, and Harry looked around the room while Severus glanced idly at a small list on the table.

Taking the actual size of the establishment into consideration, the room was fairly large, with tables scattered around at various intervals, seating from two to eight, with one long table in a separate room Harry could just see through two glass doors. The light was low, but the candles on the tables were bright enough that everyone could see everyone else at his or her table. There wasn't a menu or anything that Harry could see, but he assumed that since Severus hadn't said anything on the matter, it was okay.

Severus watched Harry from behind the wine list; he seemed to be excited about being in the restaurant, but also seemed to be trying to keep his excitement in check. He looked at the wine list again, sneering at the lack of anything decent to drink; he couldn't help but think that one of his former students, a Gryffindor by the name of Longbottom, could brew things better in his first year than the wine Muggles had to offer.

A few minutes later, Harry and Severus looked up from looking around the room and at the wine list when a young woman walked up and smiled brightly at them. "Good evening gentlemen. I'll be your waitress tonight." Harry smiled brightly at her, but Severus just nodded simply while she gave each of them menus.

"Would either of you gentlemen care for something to drink? Wine, tea, water?" The woman smiled winningly at Harry, sensing him at the nicer of the two.

"May I have water please?"

"Certainly." She scribbled hastily on a small notepad that she produced out of a pocket on her belt, then looked at Severus, who looked up at her, giving her a cool stare. "A glass of the house merlot and water." She nodded, scribbled a little more on her notepad, then turned and left them alone again.

Harry opened his menu and looked down each of the lists, reading the descriptions of each of the available meals; everything sounded interesting, but he wasn't sure which of them to get. After a few more minutes, he eventually settled on a plate of shrimp alfredo and set his menu down. After a moment, he reached down to fiddle with his coat pocket, making sure again that the gloves were still where he had left them; he didn't notice when Severus did the same thing with his own coat.

The waitress returned a moment later with a small tray with their drinks and set them down in front of their respective owners; Harry immediately took a small sip of his water and watched as Severus did the same with his wine.

"Are you gentlemen ready to order, or do you need a bit longer?" She smiled back and forth between them, then eventually rested her eyes on Severus, who tilted his head inquisitively at Harry; Harry nodded and looked up at the woman, who shifted her gaze to him.

"May I have the shrimp alfredo please?" She nodded and scribbled on her ever-present notepad and looked at Severus. "And for you sir?"

"Filet mignon."

"All right… One shrimp alfredo and one filet mignon?" Harry nodded at her and handed her his menu, smiling slightly at her as she took it. "I'll get those out to you as soon as possible." Severus nodded again, watched her leave, then turned his attention back to Harry, who seemed to be nervous about something and was watching at the other patrons.

Harry looked around the room, watching everyone, and his eyes eventually fell on an older couple that was sitting at a table a little ways from them. The man was saying something to the woman, and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, which he handed to her while she smiled brightly at it. Harry nodded slightly to himself, then turned back to Severus.

Harry took a deep breath and looked at his companion. "Uhm… I know that Valentine's Day is usually reserved for lovers and people like that…" He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the gloves. "But since Quicksilver and I aren't really abounding with those…" He waved his hand in a circular motion, as if trying to figure out his next words, "we just usually give something to our friends. So…" He extended his hand and set the gloves on the table where Severus could reach them. "Happy Valentine's Day, Severus." He smiled shyly at the older man, then pulled his hand back and folded them on the table.

Severus picked the black and silver gloves up and looked at them closely, feeling the material. The back of the hands were Dragonhide, but the palms were made of something different that he couldn't quite place.

"The tops are Dragonhide, but Quicksilver gave me some of her scales for the bottoms. Um… They're waterproof, and when I had them made, I told the maker that they were for you. Well, not for you, exactly, but for someone who worked with potions a lot. There's some magic worked into them as well, which will let you feel the texture of anything you're working with, but won't react with any of the more sensitive plants. And, um… They're resistant to acids up to and including Dragon's Blood, but anything stronger could damage them." Harry trailed off for a moment, trying to recall everything else about the gloves. "Oh, and they're really durable too. They'll um… They'll resist being cut or punctured, as long as you don't make an active attempt to slice them up. And… And…"

"Harry."

Harry looked up from his rambling in time to see Severus try the gloves on and look at them. "They're very nice. I've needed some new gloves for some time now, but haven't bothered with buying them. These will be very useful. Thank you." He began pulling them off and pocketed them. "And give Quicksilver my thanks as well."

Harry smiled, relieved that his gift was liked, and rested his hands in his lap. "Okay. I thought you would like them." He smiled again at Severus, then looked around the room as a short man began playing on a piano in one of the corners of the room.

Severus watched Harry watch the piano player for a few moments, then pulled a small box out of one of the pockets in his own coat pocket and placed it on the table. He wanted to give it to Harry, but he could wait until the teen's terminal curiosity about the world had been filled for the moment. Severus was surprised to find that he was actually quite comfortable with simply sitting and watching Harry, and didn't find it strange that he almost always found himself staring at the pretty boy, rather than thinking about things such as potions, which, until the beginning of that school year, had been everything in his life.

Harry smiled slightly to himself as the piano player finished playing one of Bach's Preludes and turned back to the table. He smiled brightly at Severus when he noticed that the older man was watching him, then resumed looking around the room, watching everyone interact with each other. He found it funny that probably everyone in the room, if asked, would say that there was no such thing as magic, never mind the fact that there were two fully fledged wizards sitting among them; he snickered at the thought, catching Severus' attention.

Severus arched an eyebrow at the bubble of quiet laughter; Harry grinned childishly, then made a small pointing motion to everyone else in the room. "I was thinking that, if you asked them, everyone would say that there isn't any such thing as magic. Of course, they don't know that I'm a Charms Apprentice and you happen to be one of the most terrifying wizards to ever teach children… Short of Salazar himself, that is." Harry grinned again when Severus gave him an arch look.

"Oh really? Only 'one of the most terrifying'? Hmph. I must be losing my touch." He glanced at his nails idly. "Perhaps I should start giving detentions which include polishing trophies whilst spending time in the giant squid's lake again… Or washing the windows outside Gryffindor Tower, without the use of a broom or magic." Here he looked up and smirked evilly at Harry. "But considering that any student not in my house tends to be reduced to tears when they find out that they must serve a detention with me, rather than Mr. Filch or their Head of House, I would have to say that I don't believe I have completely fallen out of practice in scaring students into fairly decent behavior."

Harry stared at Severus, a look of mock scandal on his face. "Do you enjoy making students cry?"

"I find that it is a rather nice little perk of the job. That and poisoning students in the name of giving them an education." Severus smirked evilly again, then gave Harry an appraising look. "You can not honestly tell me that you have not gone without debating whether to cast a spell on a student or two while trying to give them at least a chance of learning something?"

Harry looked away, whistling, then looked back at Severus, a look of exaggerated surprise on his face. "Who me?" He pointed to himself, then folded his hands inconspicuously. "Cast a spell on a student? Never. I don't know what you're talking about." Harry looked away and whistled again, and, much to the older man's surprise, Severus found himself chuckling at the feigned innocence.

"I thought so. You may as well face it, my imp. We teach nothing but dunderheads and half-wits, with a few comprehending students thrown into the mix, and I would like to be allowed to use them in classroom demonstrations to get the lesson across. I, for one, would love to be able to give a few of my students poisons and see if they can figure out what it was before I have to force the antidote down their almost dead throats. Oh look, dinner." Severus looked up from where he was talking to find that the waitress had returned with their plates, although she seemed to be a slight shade of pale green; Harry barely refrained from giggling at her discomfort at Severus' statement while she gave them each their plate and topped off their waters before leaving hastily to busy herself somewhere else.

"That's what she gets for eavesdropping." Severus stated coolly before cutting into his meat. At the comment, Harry couldn't hold his laughter back any more and it broke through, causing Severus to look up from his meal before joining in, although he was slightly more refined in his amusement than Harry's puppy like joyfulness.

"You're so mean, Severus! You know that?"

"So I've been told." Severus continued eating, every now and then pausing to take a sip of his wine. After laughing at Severus' coolly stated comment, Harry followed suit, digging into his meal with the standard teenage appetite. It was as he was also taking a drink that he noticed the small box Severus had placed on the table and he eyed it, trying to see into it and figure out what it contained; after a few minutes of hard staring, he had come up with absolutely nothing, and decided that it would just be better, although not as easy, to be patient and find out in time.

The men ate their meal in companionable silence, each listening to the soft melodies coming from the piano player, and it wasn't until the waitress had reappeared, cleared their table, left a desert menu, and gone off again that Severus finally decided that it was now or never.

"Harry…"

"Hmm?" Harry looked up from the desert menu and cocked his head to one side; Severus had taken a hold of the box and moved it to where Harry had placed the gloves earlier. "I usually do not partake of the standard gift giving customs during this time of the year, but I must admit that I also have something for you." He pulled his hand back and left the small black box on the table where Harry could take it.

Harry blinked at the box for a moment, then extended his hand and took it carefully; he pulled it to him and looked at it before opening the small gift. After a few moments of simply looking, he flicked his thumb over the small clasp holding the box shut and opened it, then sat and stared at the contents in dumb surprise.

Resting inside the box on a perfect black cushion was the most beautiful ring Harry had ever seen in his entire life, even though he hadn't seen that many. Sitting across a thin silver band were four perfect gems, each glinting a different color in the light. Underneath each stone was an engraved animal, and upon closer inspection, Harry discovered that they were the four Hogwarts mascots. From the innermost stone to the outermost sat a finely crafted raven, which flapped its wings, feathers flashing in the candle light, followed by the Slytherin snake, which reared up and flicked its tongue, scales glinting. After that was the Hufflepuff badger, which lifted its head and blinked sleepily at Harry before returning to its nap, and finally the lion of Gryffindor, which opened its mouth in a silent roar, mane boldly tossing to and fro.

"Wow…" Harry looked up at Severus, then back down to the ring, then back up to Severus, and finally back down to the ring.

Severus watched Harry open the box, hoping that it wasn't too much, then kept a close eye on his companion while he reacted to the gift. At least he seemed to like it, if his silence was any indication. Severus wasn't completely sure of the gift's acceptance until Harry sat the box down on the table and tilted his head at Severus again.

"Which hand does it go on?"

The older man blinked, thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, considering that it is not an engagement or wedding ring, I believe that you may wear it on which ever finger you choose to. It is spelled to automatically fit onto any finger you place it on. You can either wear it over or under your gloves, and as an added bonus, it is spelled so that you may remove it or your gloves separately, without having to remove the other."

"Wow…" Harry said again, this time lifting the ring from where it was sitting snugly in the box; he looked at his hands for a moment, then at the ring, then slid the small band onto his right middle finger and looked at it in the light. He grinned at it, then looked up at Severus and smiled brightly, eyes flashing his happiness. "It's so pretty. Thank you Severus. No one's ever given me something so nice before."

Dessert came and went quickly, and although Harry didn't say anything more about the ring, Severus was pleased to see that every so often, Harry would bring his hands together and play with it, as if checking to make sure that it was still there; Severus paid for the check so smoothly that if Harry hadn't known any better, he would have sworn that Severus was a Muggle, and it wasn't until the waitress said 'Have a good evening, Mr. Alexander.' that Harry remembered what he had been meaning to ask Severus all night.

They had just gotten outside and were heading back towards the concealed alley when Harry slipped his hand into Severus' and looked up at him. "Um… Severus?"

"Yes?" Severus glanced down at Harry, then back up to the street as the signal that they could cross lit up.

"Who's Alexander?"

Severus blinked and looked down at Harry. "Excuse me?"

"Alexander. You told the man at the door that our reservation was under the name Alexander and the waitress called you Mr. Alexander." Harry stepped around a wadded up newspaper, then looked back up at the older man.

Severus made a non-committal gesture. "It's a pseudonym. Snape is a rather uncommon name in the Muggle world."

"Oh." Harry looked down at the sidewalk, then back up to the stores they were passing, not really paying extremely close attention to where he was walking. As a result, when the door to a store opened and a very large fat youth walked out, Harry didn't have the time to stop or dodge the other. The two collided and Harry took a step backwards, trying to keep his balance.

"Watch where you're going, you twit!" The other man snarled darkly; Harry's eyes widened and his heart stopped cold in his chest when the voice registered in his mind. "Oh Merlin no." He whispered, then looked up into the face of one of the three people who had made his life a literal Hell while he had lived with them. Of all the people that he could have accidentally walked into in the middle of London at night, it had to be none other than Dudley Dursley.

Harry took a second quick step backwards, trying to get more space between him and his horrendous cousin, but was stopped when he felt a heavy pair of hands on his back. "Watch out, you ignorant child!" Harry wheeled around, fear tying his stomach in knots. There, not a half-meter away from him, was his uncle, Vernon Dursley. Harry gasped in fear and stumbled away from the two men, looking wildly around for Severus.

"I'm s-so sorry, sir. I-I-I didn't mean to… Really. Excuse me. I'm sorry." Harry babbled nervously, trying to find an escape. He hadn't gotten more than a few steps away when one of Vernon's large, meaty hands came down on his shoulder, trapping him.

"Don't I know you, boy?"

Harry's eyes widened in fear and he tried to gasp in a breath that wouldn't come; he shook his head quickly, hoping to get the older man to leave him alone. Albus had told him about the Obliviate he had cast on the Dursleys, and Harry was more than happy to go along with the ruse.

"No. I think I do. You're… I know you… You're… Harry. Harry something…" Vernon's face suddenly went very purple, a look Harry vividly remembered as the last thing he would often see before being punished for something he had done. "You little freak. Where have you been hiding? I know you've gone off and done something weird. I think a bit of time in the basement would do you some good, you little- Get back here!"

Harry, fear induced adrenaline giving him strength, wrenched himself out of the fat man's grip and spun on his heel, only to barrel headlong into Severus; not realizing who he had collided with, he instinctively lifted his hands to shove him away but was stopped when the older man wrapped his hands around his shoulders, his low voice penetrated the fog of terror that was clouding Harry's ability to think.

"Harry? What is it? What's going on?"

"Oh gods. Don't let them take me Severus! Please! I'll do anything. Just please, please, don't let them. Please. Please don't." Harry continued to babble on, begging Severus to keep him safe.

Severus stared down at Harry's terrified form and held him close, then looked up at Vernon, who was reaching out to pull Harry back; the potions master's glare was enough to freeze him in place. Severus lowered his head to speak softly into the teen's ear, still glaring venomously at Harry's relatives. "It's all right, Harry. Nothing is going to happen."

Harry, who was still too scared to do anything other than beg for safety, simply pressed closer. "I can't go back there. Please don't let them take me. Please don't let me go back there."

Vernon finally snapped out of the momentary surprise Severus had caused him and glared at Harry. "Get off of him, you little brat! You'd better get over here this instant or so help me, I'll-"

Severus tightened his grip on Harry. "Or you'll what?"

Vernon paused, clearly having not expected anyone to come to his nephew's aid. He glowered at the other man, irritated at the interruption. "And just who do you think you are, getting into the middle of my business?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." Severus replied coolly, arching an eyebrow in the fashion that usually left students trembling in fear; Mr. Dursley backed down, put off from his rage, but then puffed himself back up, determined to get what he wanted out of the situation. "Vernon Dursley. And that boy you have there belongs to me. So hand him over!"

As Harry trembled and pressed tighter against Severus, the name instantly connected with what Albus had told him about Harry and his past. "Oh really? You're Vernon Dursley?" The fact that Severus seemed to recognize his name had the effect of calming Vernon a bit, and the younger Muggle seemed to be proud that someone knew his father's name.

"That's right. And like I said before, that boy belongs to me." Severus smirked darkly at Vernon, who shifted uncomfortably when his usual bullying tactics didn't work.

"Well," Severus stated, voice cool and sharp enough to be painful to anyone it was released on, "I know who you are, Mr. Dursley, and I know what you've done to Harry." He grinned darkly when the other took a step back and nodded to Vernon. "Oh yes. I've seen the marks you've left, and I've got the mind to make things right myself."

"And just what are you going to do? You don't know what that boy can do. He's a freak!" Vernon glared at Harry's back, which shook even more, and Severus growled darkly.

"I will have you know something, Mr. Dursley. Not only is he not a 'freak' as you so creatively put it, he is also not a boy, which means that if he does not want to go with you, he does not have to."

"He is! He needs to be watched constantly and that's just what my wife and I can do!"

Severus smirked again, sending Vernon back another step. "Actually, Mr. Dursley, Harry here is something that we like to call a wizard. I'm sure you've heard of them. People that can do magic."

"There's no such thing!" Vernon hissed; his face had gone from red to very pale.

"There is, you're just too close-minded to know it, which is a shame, really. Harry here is a very bright young man and will actually be teaching next year, although I'm sure you don't care." Severus gave both of the men long appraising looks and curled his lip in disgust. "From the looks of you and your son, it appears to me that the only thing you care about is stuffing food into your fat mouths. May I suggest a diet? I know a wonderful spell often used in torture sessions. It will seal your mouth shut for a week at a time. That should give your body enough time to start digesting all of those nauseating fat stores you have." Severus sneered cruelly at the pair of men, leaving no doubt in their minds that he would cast the spell on them without further hesitation; both of the men backed up and shot fearful glances at each other.

"I will give you both five seconds to turn around and waddle away like the repulsive slugs you are, and we'll all forget that this little interlude happened at all. After that... Well, however many times random rashes and pustules pop up on your faces and other, unmentionable, areas really will be your own fault." With that, Vernon and Dudley were gone and Severus smirked darkly at the area where they had been standing before looking around, still holding the trembling teen.

As it happened, he and Harry were actually at the alley where they had originally used the Portkey for their reservations, and was relieved to note that no other Muggles were on the street. He managed to maneuver Harry into the concealed alleyway, a feat in itself, considering how Harry was still frozen in fear, and then pulled the Portkey from his pocket. Keeping one arm around the younger man, he pushed the item into Harry's hand and pulled the cap off, activating it.

When the world stopped spinning again, both of the men were again standing in Severus' rooms. Since they happened to be standing next to one of Severus' tables, he dropped the Portkey pen on the one they were standing closer to and wrapped his arms around Harry again, who was still trembling a bit, but was now silent.

"Harry, everything is fine now. We're back at Hogwarts. Calm down. Nothing is going to happen to you. They're gone." Severus lowered his head and spoke softly into the teen's ear, keeping his tone soothing; at the words, Harry shivered and burrowed closer into Severus' chest, but spoke loud enough that Severus was able to hear him clearly.

"I can't go back there. It's Hell. I'll kill myself before I go back there."

A spike of alarm ran through Severus; he pulled back and took Harry's face in his hands, making the boy meet his eyes. "No, Harry. Don't say that."

"You don't know what it's like there! It's true! You saw my scars!" Harry looked like he was on the verge of tears and was biting his lip furiously; Severus shook his head.

"I don't care how true it is. Don't say that." Here he wrapped Harry in a tight hug again and pressed his cheek into the boy's hair. "Please don't say that."

The two men stood there for a few more minutes before Severus finally decided that Harry had completely calmed down, and he pulled back again, but just enough to look down at the younger man. Harry's eyes were still red rimmed, but at least he wasn't crying or shaking any more. "Do you…" Severus took a deep breath for the next part. "Do you want to spend the night here?"

Harry's eyes widened like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Can I?" Severus nodded, causing one corner of Harry's mouth to twitch in a weak smile. "Thank you."

 

**THE SLEEPOVER**

When Harry emerged from the door of his bathroom, Severus looked up from where he was standing next to the open doors of his closet and smiled slightly to himself, although he hid it under the guise of coughing. It was rather cute - although Severus would never admit to thinking anything was 'cute' - how small Harry looked in his transfigured pajamas. Severus, who only had two pairs of pajamas himself - one of which he was wearing and the others being held hostage by house elves on a cleaning rampage - had suggested that Harry either ask for his to be sent down, or could magic his clothes into something more sleep related; Harry, not wanting to cause any elves the trouble of bothering with his clothes, had simply waved his hand over his jeans and shirt and changed them into a pair of too-long, dark red plaid cotton pajamas that covered both his feet and hands; the neck was that of a regular t-shirt, and Severus, much to his displeasure, could make a few lines marring the teen's neck, although he made the effort to not stare at them.

Severus had put on his own perfect black silk pajamas and had busied himself with hanging up both of their cloaks, which he had taken the liberty of removing the transfiguration that had been on them, and had just put away his Potion Master ring when Harry entered the room and looked at him for a minute, then at the bed, saying nothing; Severus, sensing the problem, looked from Harry's back to the bed, then shrugged and moved to stand next to him.

"You may have either side. It makes no difference to me." He looked down Harry, who was still looking at the bed and frowning as if in thought, then up to the bed. Who knew that the day would come that Severus Snape would have trouble getting into his own bed? Finally resigning himself to the fact that Harry wasn't going to move without Severus giving him a direct order, the older man moved to the left side of the bed, the side he usually slept on, lifted up both the warm owl down stuffed comforter and the soft cotton sheets he preferred, and got in, stretching languidly.

Harry took Severus' motions as a sign that it was his turn to move and made his way to the other side of the giant king sized bed - a fact that Harry found rather surprising, since Severus always came across as a man who didn't like anything in excess, including his personal commodities - and crawled under the warm covers as well.

At the contact with the bed, all of the stress from the day flew out of Severus' body and he stretched again, straightening his long legs out, one arm resting on his chest, the other above his head, and yawned silently, feeling his body dropping into sleep.

"Night Severus." Severus turned his head and pried one eye open at the yawned statement and saw Harry lying on his stomach, one arm and leg flung out to the side, the other arm and leg straight, arm underneath his body. The last thing the older man could remember thinking before sleep quickly overtook him was how right it felt to have someone in bed with him for once in his life.

~~

Some time during the night, an ear-splitting shriek sounded in the room, followed by a series of whimpers and moans; Severus shot up in bed, instantly on-guard from his years as a Death Eater, and yelped in surprise when someone's hand lashed out and slapped at him, as if trying to get him to go away. The blow surprised him, and Severus, acting on instinct, shot his hand out in an attempt to grab the attacking hand.

After a few failed attempts, Severus finally managed to get a hold of the offending appendage and looked down into the face of his attacker. After staring for a few seconds, his brain caught up with the information his eyes and ears were sending it and Severus realized that it was Harry that was flailing around. The teen was tossing and turning in his sleep, alternately muttering and whimpering, tossing his arms about as if trying to fend off some invisible attacker. As Severus sat and watched the teen, he also realized that Harry's movements weren't strictly related to deflecting the invisible strikes, but also bodily jerks from when the blows would land.

"Please don't… No…"

Severus reached down to Harry's shoulder and shook him gently, trying to rouse him; Harry whimpered and cringed in his sleep.

"Leave me alone… Stop it…"

"Harry." Severus shook a little harder.

"No… Stop… Please stop it…" Harry continued to whimper and cringe, and Severus had to duck once or twice to avoid getting accidentally hit.

"Harry!" Severus shook the younger man as hard as he dared, and Harry's eyes snapped open, unseeing. After a few moments of staring blankly, Harry blinked and focused on Severus' face; after a few more seconds, he cringed again and rolled over onto his side, away from Severus' concerned looks, and curled up into a ball. Severus was about to lean over and ask Harry what was wrong when he noticed that Harry's shoulder were shaking and he was still whimpering, although now Severus knew that particular sound to be someone crying and trying to hide it, rather than someone scared witless.

Severus continued to lie on his side while watching Harry, then, for lack of a better idea, he leaned over so that he was speaking near Harry's ear, but not so quietly that Harry had to turn his head to hear him.

"I will still be here, if you need me." After the brief comment, Severus moved away from the quietly weeping teen and laid back down on his back in the same position he had gone to sleep in and closed his eyes, even though he was far from sleep now.

Harry stared at the wall, hugging himself tightly and trying to calm down from his nightmare induced fear; it had been a long time since he'd had a dream about his 'family' but it didn't surprise him in the slightest that he'd had one after running into them on the street. He could still feel the memory of the pain from where they had hit him, and could hear their voices ringing in his ears, berating him, his dead parents, his abilities; he cringed again and bit his lip in an attempt to stay silent and let Severus get back to sleep. Harry knew that he himself wouldn't be sleeping again that night, he never did after his nightmares, but it wouldn't be right to keep the older man up just because of him. He curled up even tighter when he heard Severus say that he would be there, and made no noise while the other man shifted into a more comfortable position.

Harry's self-imposed silence didn't last long however; after only a few more minutes, he lifted his head and looked over his shoulder carefully at Severus, who was still in the same position he had gone to sleep in. Harry looked at him for a long minute, but it wasn't until the choking weight in his stomach grew to take in all of his senses that he gave in and acted on his instincts, some small part of him hoping that Severus wasn't asleep just yet.

Severus knew the instant that Harry moved, but chose to stay still, lest his moving frighten the boy back into a ball; keeping his breathing even, he shifted just enough to make his side more open to the younger man, and when Harry moved again, pressing himself up against Severus and burying his head into Severus' chest, the only thing the older man did was move his arm from above his head to wrap around Harry's trembling form, rubbing his back lightly and stroking his hair.

"I can still hear them sometimes…" Harry whispered into Severus' chest, still trembling from the nightmare. "Telling me what they think of me. How strange and abnormal I am. How pathetic…" He cringed and shifted, pressing close to Severus' warmth, one hand pressed underneath between them, the other clenching a handful of his pajama shirt. "How no one could ever love a scarred, worthless thing like me…" Harry's breath hitched on his last statement and Severus barely kept from cursing someone into oblivion when he felt the damp warmth of the younger man's tears seeping into his pajama shirt; acting on the instincts that had saved him a innumerable amount of times, he tightened his arm around Harry again, his free hand clasping at the balled fist on his chest.

They stayed that way for some time, Harry quietly sobbing and clutching Severus' chest like a life-line, Severus holding Harry, arms forming a protective shield around the younger man; it wasn't until Harry's snuffling finally calmed that Severus dared to speak. "Harry…" He pressed a gentle kiss into the teen's hair and before resting his cheek against it. "No matter what anyone else says, you're not worthless."

Harry refused to look up, keeping his eyes downcast. "That's a nice thing to say, even if it isn't true." He whispered, ashamed of himself.

Severus stared in shock at Harry, the shook his head. "That's it. I've had just about enough of you berating yourself." Harry looked up at the growled statement and began to move away, trying not to show his hurt; Severus was faster, however, and before Harry could even move one of his arms, he found himself on his back, pinned under Severus' heavier form. "Now, you are going to lie there and listen to me, and if that means that you have to stay here for the rest of the night, then so be it."

Harry stared up at Severus, silent and a little scared. When it became apparent that the older man wasn't going to say anything further until he got some sort of answer from the teen, Harry swallowed audibly and nodded his head; Severus nodded in return, then shifted enough to allow Harry more room to breathe.

"I've seen worthless, Harry, and trust me when I say this. You're not it. Worthless is a potion when the timing is off. Worthless is a student's essay when they didn't pay attention to the assignment. Worthless is hours of planning gone awry because one person didn't do their part." He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in before continuing. "If there is one thing that I've come to know from my time here, it is that every single person on this staff has plenty of worth, which includes you. Albus would not hire someone who was worthless to teach his students, nor would Filius would be entrusting his knowledge to you."

Harry continued to watch the older man while he spoke, keeping his silence. "And another thing," Severus continued on, staring directly into Harry's eyes. "If you were worthless, I would not have taken you on as an advanced student, seeing as I will only teach those who are the best and brightest in my subject. If you were worthless, I would not have spent my valuable time and even more valuable ingredients making an Eyesight Correction Potion for you, because that is a particularly fickle potion that I only make for people that I deem worthy. If you had no worth, as you seem to ready to believe, I would not have given you my pendant when we went to Hogsmeade. I wouldn't have asked you to accompany me tonight, or have given you that ring, or have offered for you to stay." Severus paused again, taking a breath and steadying himself. "And… If there is one thing in my life that I strive to hold constant, it is that I have no room for worthlessness in my personal life, yet you have become a prominent figure in it."

Harry stared up at the older man, eyes wide, asking the final question that he couldn't put into words; Severus, understanding, simply lowered his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Harry's lips, then turned to nuzzle the soft skin below his ear. "Let me show you just how much you truly are worth," he whispered. He pressed another chaste kiss to Harry's lips and looked up to lock eyes with the young man that meant more than the world to him; the teen stared back, trying to make sure he was understanding what he was hearing, then nodded slightly, accepting whatever would come.

Severus nodded slightly in return, then leaned down and kissed Harry softly, intermixing quick pecks and longer sweeping kisses randomly, then moved slightly to plant kisses along the teen's forehead, cheeks, and chin, then back to his lips, then along his jawbone, and then back, all the while running the hand that wasn't supporting his weight along Harry's cloth covered side; Harry was too lost in the sensations to even realize anything was happening, and it wasn't until he felt hands on bare skin that he even noticed that his shirt had somehow become unbuttoned, and even though Severus was still kissing his face and neck, he was now running his hand up and down Harry's chest and stomach. He instinctively reacted and tensed up a bit, glancing down at his bare chest, then up at Severus with a mixture of worry and fear in his eyes; Severus, however, simply leaned down to kiss him slowly, then began paying attention to Harry's chest.

Severus paused in his work, noting with surprise that Harry still had his snake pendant on; he ran his finger over the pendant, smirking slightly, then took up lightly rubbing Harry's side with soft, slow strokes. "Why do you still have this Harry?"

Harry glanced at the adornment, then relaxed back, staring at the ceiling, trying to concentrate on the words and having a hard time of it. "You never asked for it back… And I couldn't… Mmmm… Bring myself to just force it back on you. Did you want it back?"

"No. Keep it. It looks good on you. I like knowing that you're wearing something of mine." He continued to rub the soft skin, this time alternating between using his full palm and just his fingertips.

"Oh… Okay…" Harry sighed against the soft touches, spending more time concentrating on the sensations assaulting his nerves rather than the words in his ears. Severus didn't pay him any mind; this was the effect he had been going after, anyway. With another smirk he continued with his earlier plans, before the sight of the necklace had interrupted them; he would wait until the morning to tell him just how much the sight of the cool metal on Harry's pale skin meant to him.

He worked slowly, first running his fingers over every one of Harry's scars, committing every part of the younger man to memory, then leaned down to follow his fingers with his lips. Harry, who had never felt anything quite as alien or exciting than someone else's lips on his skin, relaxed completely and sighed, panting slightly.

When he was sure that Harry had relaxed to his touch, Severus smirked against the pale skin, then shifted just enough to run lips over Harry's right nipple, ripping a gasp of surprise out of the younger man; Severus smirked again and returned to kissing every one of Harry's scars, pretending that he hadn't done anything differently. He waited patiently until Harry had relaxed again, then repeated his actions, this time to the left nipple, pulling another gasp of surprise from the form beneath him; this time, however, he didn't return to his earlier tactics, preferring to focus his concentration on the small nub under his mouth. Harry lifted his head and stared in mixed surprise and arousal at the dark haired figure, then moaned loudly and let his head fall back as Severus gently bit him, playing with the sensitized skin.

Severus continued to play with the younger man, running his hands over any part of if him that he could reach, trailing his fingertips along the soft cotton bottoms of the teen's pajamas, around the drawstring waist, and up and down the heavily scarred chest. Harry was lost in the sensations again until he felt a long hand slide inside his pajama bottoms; he was about to lean up and say something, but Severus was back to kissing him thoroughly, silencing anything Harry had been about to say.

"Do you want me to stop?" he whispered quietly when he had paused in his kissing long enough to allow Harry to breathe, not that he could do that very well with the amazing things Severus was doing with his hand; he shook his head no. "Just relax…" The older man leaned down and began kissing Harry again, this time pleased to note that Harry was taking an active part in the kiss, stroking his tongue along Severus' tongue and the roof of his mouth before pulling back and inviting Severus to return the actions.

Severus continued to kiss Harry, resuming his roving technique, running his tongue along Harry's scars, nipping lightly at his collarbone and lips, until Harry was moaning loudly, not sure of what he could do to the older man, but more than happy enough to allow him to continue for as long as he desired to do so; Severus was alternating between running his hand along Harry's heated length, palming the head, and doing something obscenely amazing to a spot just behind his balls and the entire feeling, combined with everything his free hand and mouth were doing was turning into too much for the inexperienced teen. "Severus… I can't… I just…" More babble continued to flow out of Harry's mouth until Severus once again silenced him with a thorough kiss.

"Relax Harry…" He continued to kiss him, whispering in a voice that Harry knew should have been illegal for any form of usage. "It's okay. Just relax."

The sensations proved to be too much for the younger man, who tensed slightly, then arched as he came, covering the older man's hand and soaking his pajama bottoms with his come, moaning loudly in the process.

After the last tremors from Harry's orgasm had run their course, Severus released Harry's softening cock and removed his hand from the now sticky bottoms, wiping his hand off on the sheet before lifting it to run through the teen's hair; Harry tilted his head into the touch, then turned to kiss the older man when he repositioned himself to lie alongside the teen.

"You didn't…" Harry tried to speak in another breath-giving pause in their kiss, but Severus shook his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Harry's lips. "Don't worry about it." Harry nodded slightly, then tilted his chin up, asking for another kiss, which Severus quickly bestowed upon him, this one far more languid and relaxed than the previous ones.

Eventually the two men broke their kiss and Severus rolled from his side onto his back, Harry shifting to drape himself across the older man's slightly larger frame, frowning slightly when he brushed up against Severus' still hard length. Severus groaned quietly at the accidental touch, then nearly bit through his lip when Harry's unsure hand rubbed against him fully through the cool silk of his pajama bottoms. "Harry…" He groaned the name like a prayer, but it didn't save him from much when Harry continued to stroke him, shifting in pressure and speed until he found a pattern that he figured Severus to like, from the way he was sighing and pressing into the younger man's hand. "You really don't…"

Severus barely had the sense of mind to find it rather endearing how much concentration the teen put into his task, but he lost all thought completely when Harry, going off of what Severus had done to him earlier, squeezed his cock through the cloth, then slipped his hand into the expensive pajamas to rub him without any barriers between them. It turned out that Harry had either a gift for hand jobs or an amazing case of beginner's luck – although Severus was more than happy enough to go with the first option – and the older man barely had enough to time to draw a breath before he was shuddering it out again with his own orgasm.

Harry eventually removed his hand, rubbing it on the sheets as he'd seen Severus do, then curled up against the older man's side, snuggling into the warmth the other man was giving off; Severus, still slightly out of breath from the hand job, simply wrapped one arm around the lanky form pressed into him, reached under his pillow for his wand, muttered a quick 'Scourgify' over himself, Harry, and the bed, then put his wand back and wrapped his other arm around to completely encircle the teen, resting easily and nearly asleep. After a long yawn, Severus pressed a kiss into the unruly mop of hair tickling his chin, muttered a soft 'Goodnight Harry' and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to claim him.

"Night Sev." Severus heard Harry yawn back in response and felt him bury his head into his chest before barely hearing Harry's quiet 'Love you', followed by the soft deep breathing of a peaceful sleep.

Severus lifted his head slightly, eyeing the sleeping form pressed against him, then smiled; he wasn't anywhere close to being as surprised as he should have been when, without any major soul searching, he realized that he felt the same way. "I love you too Harry." He murmured into the dark mass of hair before settling back into the pillows and falling into his won uninterrupted sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. My favorite work I've ever written.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the longest fanfic I've ever written, and the one I'm most proud of. I hope everyone reading it gets as much joy out of it as I did writing it.
> 
> Despite the fact that I've gone through repeatedly for grammatical errors and typos, I'm always finding more. If you see one, please let me know!


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